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People stranded in Attamala after a landslide are evacuated across a temporary bridge on July 31, 2024. | Photo credit: Thulasi Kakkat
A team of geologists who surveyed the landslide-hit area in Wayanad on Thursday (August 15, 2024) said that heavy rainfall in the densely forested and uninhabited hilly region led to a massive landslide due to “dam effect”, which destroyed three villages in Vythiri taluk of Wayanad district in Kerala on July 30 morning.
Geologist John Mathai, who is leading the team of experts from the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESC) investigating the landslide, told reporters at ground zero in Wayanad that the group’s findings were only an “initial estimate”.
More detailed studies were underway, including soil testing and measuring seismic stability.
Mr. Mathai said the 570 mm rainfall inundated the hillock surrounded by forest. The water-laden mud flowed downhill, creating a temporary “dam” at Sitamamakundu.
The rains caused further seepage of wet soil from upstream, putting pressure on the naturally formed dam and endangering the stability of the slope.
Mr Mathai said the debris flow on the morning of July 30 overstretched the naturally formed barrage, causing it to break. It soon collapsed under the constant flow of mud and debris, including uprooted trees, causing the hill to slide and the landslide to destroy villages about 6.5 km away.
Mr. Mathai said Puncharimattam, the origin of the landslide, was no longer habitable. However, a large portion of land at Choorlamalla could be reclaimed for building houses. He said the NCESC team would soon submit its final report to the Kerala government.
the hunt is on
Meanwhile, the search for bodies of landslide victims continued in the downstream areas of Chaliyar river in Nilambur taluk of neighbouring Malappuram district.
Speaking to reporters in Wayanad, Revenue Minister K. Rajan said 118 people were missing. Search teams were scouring the mud and debris deposited due to the landslide in the upper reaches of the Iruvanipuzha river and the lower reaches of the Chaliyar to look for bodies. Central and state government forces are carrying out a massive search operation under the guidance of trained sniffer dogs and local scouts and divers.
Mr. Rajan said that 212 body parts have been recovered in the search operation conducted since the landslide, of which about 173 have been found on both sides of the Chaliyar river in Nilambur. Search teams combing the river banks have so far recovered 80 bodies out of the total 231 bodies recovered.
He said the government had divided the area into five sectors so that search teams could cover as much area as possible. The minister also warned volunteers against conducting search operations alone. He said mobile phone reception was poor or nonexistent in forest areas adjoining the disaster zone. “Volunteers can easily get lost or trapped.
“The district administration will not come to know about their absence until it is too late,” Mr. Rajan said. He also warned that rains would intensify in Kerala in the coming days and cautioned people against taking unnecessary risks.
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