With a steeply pitched tiled roof piercing misty green hills in southern India and a stream gushing through rocks nearby, the Stone House Bungalow was one of the most popular resorts in the Wayanad area of Kerala state.

It was empty when two landslides early on Tuesday washed away the 30-year-old stone building: staff and tourists had left after rain flooded its kitchen a few days earlier.

But neighbouring dwellings in Mundakkai village were occupied and 205 people, almost all locals, were killed and scores are missing. Tourists had been warned to leave the day earlier because of the rain.

Local authorities are now counting the cost of the disaster and questioning whether the rapid development of a tourism industry was to blame for the tragedy. Weather-related disasters are not unusual in India, but the landslides in Kerala state this week were the worst since about 400 people were killed in floods there in 2018.

Mundakkai, the area worst affected by the landslides, was home to some 500 local families. It and neighbouring villages housed nearly 700 resorts, homestays and zip-lining stations attracting trekkers, honeymooners and tourists looking to be close to nature, a local official said. Cardamom and tea estates dotted the hills.

Experts said they had seen Tuesday’s disaster coming for years and several government reports in the past 13 years had warned that over-development in the ecologically sensitive areas would increase the risk of landslides and other environmental disasters such as floods by blocking natural water flows. The warnings were largely ignored or lost in bureaucratic wrangling.

A fast-growing India is rapidly building infrastructure across the country, especially in its tourist destinations, including the ecologically fragile Himalayan foothills in the north where there has been a rise in cave-ins and landslides.

Just three weeks before the latest disaster, Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas said in the state assembly in answer to a question that Wayanad was “dealing with an influx of more people than it can handle, a classic example of a place facing the problem of over-tourism”.

The area is just six hours by road from Bengaluru, India’s tech hub, and is a favoured weekend destination for the city’s wealthy IT professionals.

However, officials were unable to share any documentary evidence with Reuters of resorts and tourist facilities flouting building regulations, although they said some had done so.

Noorudheen, part of Stone House’s managing staff who goes by one name, said no government or village authority had warned the management against building or operating a resort there.

There was no sign that the landslides were directly caused by over-development. Residents said regions higher up in the hills were loosened by weeks of heavy rain and an unusually heavy downpour on Monday night led to rivers of mud, water and boulders crashing downhill, sweeping away settlements and people.

But experts said the unbridled development had worsened the situation by removing forest cover that absorbs rain and blocking natural runoffs.

“Wayanad is no stranger to such downpours,” said N Badusha, head of Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti, a local environment protection NGO.

“Unchecked tourism activity in Wayanad is the biggest factor behind worsening such calamities. Tourism has entered ecologically sensitive fragile areas where it was not supposed to be.”

SURGE IN TOURISM

Wayanad received more than 1 million domestic and foreign tourists last year, nearly triple the number in 2011 when a federal government report warned against over-development in the broader mountain range the district lies in, without clearly spelling out the consequences.

“The geography is really too fragile to accommodate all that,” K. Babu, a senior village council official in Mundakkai, said in his office this week as he coordinated rescue efforts. “Tourism is doing no good to the area…the tourism sector was never this active.”

A Wayanad district disaster management report in 2019 warned against “mindless development carried out in recent decades by destroying hills, forests, water bodies and wetlands”.

“Deforestation and reckless commercial interventions on land have destabilised the environment,” Wayanad’s then top official, Ajay Kumar, wrote after landslides in the district that year killed at least 14 people.

Reuters reached out to the Wayanad district head, its disaster management authority, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office and the Union environment ministry seeking comment but there were no responses.

Mundakkai used to be a small village sitting on the eastern slope of one of the forested green hills of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to nearly the entire length of India’s western coast for 1,600 km (1,000 miles).

Rashid Padikkalparamban, a 30-year-old Mundakkai native who lost six family members including his father to the landslides, said that the place came to the attention of outsiders mainly after 2019 and turned it into a major tourist attraction.

“They discovered a beautiful region full of tea and cardamom plantations, and a river that swept through it,” he said at a school-turned-relief camp.

Many locals sold their lands to outsiders, who then built tourist retreats in the area, he said.

‘GOD’S OWN COUNTRY’

Kerala, a sliver of land between the Western Ghat mountains to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west, is one of the most scenic states in India, and is advertised as “God’s Own Country”.

But it has witnessed nearly 60% of the 3,782 landslides in India between 2015 and 2022, the Central government told parliament in July 2022.

Studying the ecological sensitivity of the Western Ghats, a central government-appointed committee said in 2011: “It has been torn asunder by the greed of the elite and gnawed at by the poor, striving to eke out a subsistence. This is a great tragedy, for this hill range is the backbone of the ecology and economy of south India.”

The committee, headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, recommended barring mining, no new rail lines or major roads or highways in such areas, and restrictions on development in protected areas that it mapped out. For tourism, it said only minimal impact tourism should be promoted with strict waste management, traffic and water use regulations.

State governments, including Kerala, did not accept the report, and a new committee was set up, which in 2013 reduced the overall protected area from 60% of the mountain range to 37%.

But all the states along the mountain range wanted to reduce the protected area even further, minutes of successive meetings until 2019 show. The central government issued drafts to implement the recommendations for all stakeholders, but is yet to issue a final order.

Gadgil told Reuters his committee had “specifically recommended that in ecologically highly sensitive areas there should be no further human interventions, such as reconstruction”.

“The government, of course, decided to ignore our report,” he said, because tourism is a cash cow.

Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan dismissed questions about the Gadgil recommendations, telling reporters his focus was on relief and rehabilitation and asking people to not “raise inappropriate propaganda in the face of this tragedy”.

While experts bemoan tourism-led development, locals like Mundakkai’s Padikkalparamban said it brought jobs to an area that did not have many options earlier.

“After the plantation estates, resorts are the second biggest job-generating sector in the area now,” he said.

But KR Vancheeswaran, president of the Wayanad Tourism Organisation that has some 60 resorts and homestays as members but none in the vicinity of the landslides, said the industry needed to take some of the blame.

“If human activities are going to be unbearable to nature, nature will unleash its power and we will not be able to withstand it,” Vancheeswaran said. “We have had to pay a very, very high price, so let us try to learn from it.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Thiruvananthapuram:

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed Chief Secretary V Venu to withdraw a controversial note issued by the State Disaster Management Authority, which restrained science and technology institutions in the state from sharing their opinions and study reports with the media regarding the recent deadly landslides in Wayanad.

In a statement on Thursday night, Vijayan said the news that the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) had directed scientific institutions and scientists not to visit the disaster-affected Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad and not to express their opinions was misleading.

“The state government does not have such a policy,” the Chief Minister said.

“The Chief Secretary has been directed to immediately intervene and withdraw the communication that conveyed such a message,” he said.

Earlier, the scientific community had strongly protested against the note prepared by State Relief Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Tinku Biswal, which directed all science and technology institutions in the state not to undertake any field visits to Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad, where several people were killed in the devastating landslides on Tuesday.

The note had said that the scientific community should restrain themselves from sharing their opinions and study reports with the media.

It also stated that prior permission from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority was required to undertake any studies in the disaster-affected area.

The massive landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district on Tuesday morning, killing at least 190 people and injuring many.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a rebuttal to Home Minister Amit Shah’s statements in Parliament, Kerala Health Minister Veena George told NDTV that no red alert for landslides was issued by the Centre. This clarification comes in the wake of Mr Shah’s remarks suggesting that the Kerala government had been forewarned about potential landslides, which resulted in over 150 deaths and 200 injuries in Wayanad district.

Speaking to NDTV, Ms George described Mr Shah’s statement as “unfortunate and misleading”. She insisted that thorough checks of all messages from the central government came up with no red alert. “We have verified all communications from the Centre, and there was no red alert issued regarding landslides. The district administration acted based on an orange alert, which is a level lower in severity,” Ms George stated.

The minister added that the Wayanad district administration had taken preventive measures based on the orange alert, including the evacuation of many residents to safer locations.

Amit Shah In Parliament 

Mr Shah claimed yesterday that the Centre had provided early warnings to the Kerala government as early as July 23. He claimed that the Centre had dispatched nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to Kerala in anticipation of heavy rainfall and potential landslides. “The Kerala government was warned a week in advance, but they failed to evacuate people in time, leading to the tragic loss of lives,” Mr Shah said.

The Home Minister further said that India is among the few countries capable of predicting natural disasters seven days in advance. He claimed that had the Kerala government acted on the early warnings and the deployment of NDRF teams, the casualties could have been significantly reduced. “The Modi government stands firmly with the people of Kerala in this time of crisis,” Mr Shah assured.

Centre’s Response 

Union Minister George Kurian, who visited Wayanad on the night of the disaster, reiterated the Centre’s commitment to supporting Kerala. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring the situation and had directed immediate assistance and resources to the affected areas. “Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are operational 24/7, ensuring all possible support is extended to the state,” Mr Kurian said.

The Indian Army and Air Force are actively engaged in rescue operations. Two columns of army personnel and two Indian Air Force helicopters have been deployed, alongside NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and specialised dog squads to aid in the search and rescue efforts.

Political Reactions

Parliament proceedings saw heated exchanges, with opposition members stressing the need for robust early warning systems. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, representing Wayanad, urged the government to extend all possible aid to the affected people and address the ecological concerns contributing to such disasters. Mr Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to visit the relief camps set up in the district today. 

BJP member Tejasvi Surya criticised Gandhi, claiming that he never raised the issue of landslides in his constituency. He also alleged that illegal encroachments in Wayanad, ignored due to pressure from religious organisations, exacerbated the disaster. These remarks led to protests from Congress members, causing a brief adjournment of the proceedings.

Experts from various fields have called for a review of disaster management protocols. John Brittas of CPI(M) termed the Wayanad landslides as the worst in Kerala’s history and urged the Centre to declare it a national disaster. 
 

At least 143 people have died and about 186 others were injured after a series of landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district amid heavy rain yesterday.

Here Are 10 Updates On Kerala Landslides

Thiruvananthapuram:

The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday issued a red alert for the mountain district of Wayanad — which has been rocked by landslides triggered by incessant rains — and all the northern districts of Kerala, indicating that extremely heavy rainfall is expected in these regions.

While the IMD has issued a red alert for eight districts, including Wayanad, an orange alert was issued for Tuesday for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts.

A red alert indicates heavy-to-extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours. An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

The red alert was issued for Tuesday in Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts in northern Kerala, as well as Idukki and Thrissur in central Kerala.

The Met office has issued an orange alert for Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts for Wednesday as well.

Meanwhile, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod district authorities have declared a holiday for all educational institutions including the professional colleges in view of the heavy rain prediction.

Train services to and from northern Kerala has been disrupted due to flooding and trees being uprooted at many places along the tracks.

Due to waterlogging and heavy rains, at least 10 trains were fully or partially rescheduled in Kerala.

The Railways said many trains, including the ‘16305’ Ernakulam – Kannur Intercity Express and the ‘16791’ Tirunelveli – Palakkad Palaruvi Express were short terminated at Thrissur and Aluva respectively.

The ‘16302’ Thiruvananthapuram – Shoranur Venad Express will be terminated at Chalakkudy, it added.

Meanwhile, the Guruvayur – Thrissur Daily Express and Shoranur – Thrissur Daily Express, were cancelled.

The Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Central Janshatabdi Express was terminated at Shoranur Jn. A number of others trains were also either short terminated or rescheduled partially or fully.

The official death count in the Wayanad landslides has gone up to 123, and includes the count of children and women.

Around 128 are admitted to various hospitals and several people are stranded in many places of Wayanad which is continuing to receive heavy rainfall.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

At least 24 people have been killed and several are feared trapped after massive landslides hit Wayanad in the early hours today as heavy rainfall continued in Kerala.

250 members of the Fire and Rescue, Civil Defence, NDRF, and Local Emergency Response Teams are involved in the rescue operation. An additional team of NDRF has been directed to reach the spot immediately, the officials said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured all possible rescue operations to be coordinated in the landslides in Wayanad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives in landslides and assured Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of all possible help from the Centre to deal with the crisis.

The prime minister announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those who died. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

Here are the Updates on Wayanad landslides:
 

• The Chief Minister has announced that the state Health Department has opened a control room. 
• Those in need of emergency assistance can contact authorities on helpline numbers 9656938689 and 8086010833.

• Besides the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority and NDRF, the Kannur Defence Security Corps are also set to join the rescue operation. 
• The Chief Minister also said two Air Force helicopters will depart for Wayanad shortly to join the ops.
• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said all agencies have joined the rescue operation in Wayanad. 
• State ministers will coordinate the rescue ops, he has said in a statement.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all help to the LDF government.
• The Prime Minister’s Office has announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed in the calamity. Those injured would be given ₹ 50,000.

• At least eight people have died and hundreds are feared trapped after multiple landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district.
• Multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Forces, have joined the rescue ops in the hilly areas near Meppadi.