As the monsoon reaches its peak, Wayanad is once again in the news for a natural disaster. Authorities have confirmed the deaths of five people in a landslide at the Wayanad-side construction site of the Anakkampoyil–Meppadi twin tunnel road project, which connects the districts of Kozhikode and Wayanad. At least seven others are feared trapped beneath the debris. Rescue operations are underway to locate them and restore transportation in the area. The incident occurred while the area was only gradually recovering from the devastating Chooralmala–Mundakkai landslides of July 30, 2024. Although the latest disaster is not on the scale of the tragedy that wiped out two villages in the Wayanad hills and swept them into the Chaliyar River, the fresh landslide around Kalladi and Meenakshi Bridge has once again become a source of deep anxiety and renewed concern for the people of the region. No one needs to teach the people of Kerala how to respond to a disaster. Drawing on the lessons of recent years, there is little doubt that rescue operations and the rehabilitation of victims will proceed in a scientific, systematic, and well-coordinated manner. In the coming days, both the public and the authorities are expected to focus on these efforts. Even so, certain questions cannot be ignored. Chief among them is the recurring pattern of disasters in the Western Ghats during the monsoon. The latest landslide occurred in an area where a major development project was underway despite repeated warnings from geologists and climate experts about the risks involved. This makes it imperative to examine not only the natural causes of the disaster but also the man-made factors that may have contributed to it. At the very least, the incident should serve as a warning, prompting the authorities to adopt more robust precautionary measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Authorities, including the Chief Minister, are now openly describing the Wayanad landslide as a "man-made disaster". Environmental scientists such as Dr Madhav Gadgil had earlier used the same term to describe the 2018 Kerala floods and the Mundakkai–Chooralmala landslide, arguing that they were the inevitable consequences of unnecessary human interference with nature. The phrase was intended not only as an explanation of those disasters but also as a warning to Kerala and its government. However, the present characterisation of the Wayanad disaster by the Chief Minister and others is being made in a different context. Rather than referring to broader environmental degradation, they are pointing to alleged technical shortcomings associated with the construction of the tunnel road project. The proposed twin-tunnel road is set to terminate at Kalladi, near Meppadi in Wayanad, where the ongoing work involves the "cut-and-cover" section leading up to the tunnel entrance. The work currently underway involves removing the topsoil from the hillside in preparation for tunnel excavation. According to officials, the immediate cause of the disaster was that the excavated soil was left piled up at the site instead of being removed. Although the contractor had been instructed weeks earlier to clear the accumulated earth, the directions were not followed. With heavy rainfall, the massive heaps of soil gave way, falling onto the nearby road and into the river. There is little doubt that this points to negligence on the part of the contractor. In that sense, the authorities have described the incident as a "man-made disaster", and any lapses warrant a thorough investigation and appropriate action. However, eyewitness accounts suggest a more complex sequence of events. They indicate that landslides first occurred on the hills where the tunnel construction had begun, and that the displaced earth subsequently crashed onto the excavated soil from the "cut-and-cover" works, triggering the disaster. If these accounts are accurate, the label "man-made disaster" may need to be understood in a broader sense. It would also strengthen the case for a comprehensive review of the entire tunnel construction project.
Since the devastating floods of 2018, the Western Ghats have unleashed their destructive force on more than half a dozen occasions, with Kerala witnessing several major disasters. No one has forgotten the landslides that happened before the Wayanad landslide, including the deadly landslides at Kavalappara in Malappuram, Pettimudi in Idukki, and Puthumala in Wayanad. Each of those disasters sparked intense debate in Kerala over construction activities in the Western Ghats and the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee. Yet, despite those repeated warnings, another disaster has struck an ecologically sensitive area. Unfortunately, the lessons from these tragedies appear to have gone unheeded. That is evident from the fact that the previous state government proceeded with plans for the tunnel road project through these environmentally fragile regions despite widespread opposition. The project eventually received environmental clearance from the Union government, subject to stringent conditions. When the matter reached the Supreme Court, the judiciary also allowed the project to go ahead, tilting to emphasising developmental considerations. Ironically, the political parties that are now in power had opposed the project while in the Opposition. They had questioned the circumstances under which environmental clearance was granted. At the time, the then Leader of the Opposition repeatedly declared that the destruction of the environment in the name of cutting through the hills would not be permitted. However, after the change in government, the responses that followed gave the impression that the political stance had also shifted. Whatever the reasons, the very early stages of the proposed tunnel project have already exposed the fragility of the Western Ghats. The project's primary objective is to ease traffic congestion and reduce travel time on the Thamarassery Ghat Road. Yet, it has become evident that the proposed tunnel passes through an area prone to recurring landslides. There are also allegations that the authorities and concerned officials have deliberately downplayed reports of minor landslides and the intensity of rainfall already witnessed in the region. The government's approach appears to suggest a determination to push ahead with the project regardless of the risks to both people and the environment. The issue is not one of blindly opposing development. Rather, the concern is that a project of this magnitude has not been backed by adequate precautionary measures. Even if the authorities' explanation for the latest accident is accepted, it clearly demonstrates the devastating consequences that even a small lapse in safety can cause. The incident should therefore be treated as both a warning and a wake-up call. A comprehensive scientific study is urgently needed to assess how climate change and shifting monsoon patterns are affecting the Western Ghats. Until such an assessment is completed, it would be vital to suspend the tunnel construction project.