MAN MADE DISASTER

NATURE’S RESPONSE AT WAYANAD

WESTERN GHAT GETTING DESTROYED

SARASIJ MAJUMDER

The devastating landslides resulted in the deaths of over 289 people and injuries to more than 300 in WAYANAD district, KERALA.  Mr. Shah expressed condolences to the families affected and emphasized the need for non-political discourse on this issue.

The above figures are likely to rise, as rescue operations are on.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described it as one of the worst disasters in the state’s history. I think  he starts and  ends his responsibility in that line!!

HOW IT STARTED:

The first landslide occurred at 2 a.m., followed by another at 4 a.m., catching the villagers off-guard while they were sleeping and resulting in a high number of casualties.

Vehicles washed away in floodwaters were seen stuck in tree trunks and submerged in many places as swollen water bodies changed their course and flowed through inhabited areas, causing further devastation.

FLASH FLOODS:
Triggered by heavy rain, the flood waters washed away a bridge connecting Chooralmala to Mundakkai, severely affecting connectivity to Mundakkai and impacting areas including Chooralmala and Pothukallu at Meppadi.

Huge boulders rolled down the hills, hindering the path of rescue workers.

What  Is Disturbing:
Bodies were laid in a row on the floor of a small, crowded hospital in Meppadi village, where distraught people were searching  amongst corpses for their loved ones.

RESCUE OPERATIONS:
In anticipation of the disaster, nine NDRF teams were airlifted to Kerala on July 23. Army was mobilized on July 24 . State Government was sleeping at that time. The NDRF,  and Army reached to  trapped and injured survivors. A special 24-hour control room has been established at the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

45 camps have been set up in the district and  3,069 people have been rehabilitated there, till yesterday.

Climatic Warming  & Multiple Early Warnings:

The central government issued an early warning to the Kerala government on July 23, 2024, about potential heavy rainfall and landslides.

Additional warnings were given on July 24 and 25, reiterating the risks.

On July 26, a specific warning highlighted the likelihood of 20 cm of rainfall and potential landslides. This is RED ALERT.

Warming of the Arabian Sea was causing deep cloud systems that resulted in extremely heavy rainfall in Kerala, increasing landslide risk, according to a senior climate scientist, and the information was available to state administration, who ignored the imminent Disaster, and consequence.

S Abhilash, director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research, told PTI that heavy rainfall from an active monsoon offshore trough saturated the soil, leading to localised landslides.

Severity of Rainfall and Alerts:

A "red alert" signifies heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an "orange alert" indicates very heavy rain ranging from 6 cm to 20 cm. The early warnings were intended to mitigate the impact of such severe weather.

Kerala's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, acknowledged the heavy rainfall  alert but stated that no red alert was initially (?) issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The CM is hiding behind a blame game!!!

Background,  and   Overview of Kerala's Landslide History:

Frequent Landslides: Kerala has a history of frequent landslides, particularly in the monsoon season. The state's hilly terrain and heavy rainfall contribute to the vulnerability.

In the past decade, Kerala has experienced several devastating landslides, with significant loss of life and property.

The central government always provided  early warnings and deploys the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to assist in disaster-prone areas.

Financial aid and resources were, and  are also allocated to assist in disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts.

As the 2011 Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Expert Ecology Panel (WGEEP) report resurfaced due to natural calamities in the state, the assembly committee on environment's special report on the 2018 floods ascertained the need to implement its recommendations.

The assembly committee conducted extensive site visits across Wayanad, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Idukki after the 2018 floods, revealing severe ecological damage from unregulated land use and construction, which highlights the irreversible consequences of not preserving the Western Ghats.

STATE GOVERNMENT TOOK NO ACTION, IT SEEMS.

INVESTIGATION SHALL BE DONE:

The Kerala government has its disaster management framework, which includes state disaster response teams and local administrative measures. This never worked in time, and it is wastage of money. Further investigation and analysis would be necessary to fully understand the sequence of events and the effectiveness of the response measures taken by the STATE.

This situation underscores the importance of effective communication and coordination between different levels of government to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

INFORMATION SOURCE:  

TOI, IE, HT-- last few days.

https://english.mathrubhumi.com/

Image: ISRO-- Acknowledged with thanks.