Wayanad landslides | Despite inadequate warnings, government had taken precautions, says M.B. Rajesh

Search and rescue operations continue at the landslide-hit Chooralmala, in Wayanad district, on August 2, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Although there was no warning indicating the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in Wayanad on June 29, the Meppady panchayat had indeed evacuated some 150 people to safety before two massive landslides wreaked havoc in the region, according to M.B. Rajesh, Kerala’s Minister for Local Self-Governments.  

In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Rajesh said the panchayat officials had confirmed the safety of these people at an all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister in Wayanad on August 1. 

“What happened was that the alerts issued by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Geological Survey of India (GSI) never predicted a disaster of this scale. The alert given by IMD was about a rainfall between 115 mm and 204 mm. First, it was a yellow alert and then it was an orange alert for the next 24 hours. But the actual amount of rainfall we received was 200% higher than what was predicted by IMD. It was 572 mm. The alert given by GSI was green. It was not about a high-intensity landslide. But based on these alerts, the government had taken precautionary measures. The gram panchayat had evacuated people from that area. But a tragedy of this scale was never expected. And the tragedy took place in an area about six km away from the origin of this landslide,” Mr. Rajesh said.  

There was no sufficient early warning,” he added.  

Mr. Rajesh said the entire state machinery swung into action immediately after news broke of the heart-breaking tragedy, with the Chief Minister closely monitoring the progress of rescue and relief operations.

“He sent a team of five members of the State Cabinet to Wayanad, and they are coordinating the rescue and relief operations. Two IAS officers have been appointed as special officers. We sought the help of the Army and other central agencies. The Army is in action, and they constructed a Bailey bridge which accelerated the rescue operations. It will take two more days for the rescue operations to be complete,” he said.  

The Minister said the issue of rehabilitation and rebuilding the lives of people affected topped the agenda of the State government. “A Cabinet subcommittee of four Ministers has been formed and they will take the lead in preparing a rehabilitation plan for Meppadi. But it will take time for the victims to come out of this huge tragedy and their psychological trauma,” he said.  

To a question on the disaster preparedness of the State, the Minister said the government never dithered in implementing the plan to develop climate resilience as envisaged under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI) mooted in the wake of the 2018 flood. “According to information available to me, as part of RKI, projects covering 14 sectors and worth ₹8,675 crore are being implemented. So far, contracts for projects worth ₹5,308 crore have been awarded,” he maintained.  

Risk-informed master plan

Kerala, he said, was probably the only State to develop a local action plan to fight climate change. “More than 260 local self-government institutions have already made significant progress in developing local action plan on climate change. Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), in collaboration with UNDP, developed a methodology for this. We also developed a tool called Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Action Tracker (DCAT) to evaluate project planning and disaster mitigation. This is intended to empower local government institutions to meet the challenges posed by climate change and disasters. This apart, risk-informed master plan is another important development since 2018. Our target was to approve at least four risk-informed master plans in the greater Pamba Basin involving four districts: Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha by 2026. So far, we have been able to approve one risk-informed master plan for Alappuzha municipality. This is for urban areas,” the Minister added.  

“A risk-informed master plan for Chengannur is in the final stage of approval. The municipal council has yet to approve the republished risk-informed master plan. Once the municipal council approves it, the government will examine it and sanction it.” 

The Minister said the methodology of local action plan on climate change included the dissemination of downscale climate data projection and maps to the local governments. “It’s not merely about mitigating disasters. It’s about preventing disasters. And the government is very serious about the challenges facing the Western Ghats. Human factors like relentless tourism activities, construction, quarrying etc must be regulated, but we must recognise that these landslides were not caused by any construction activity or tourism. I happened to see many social media posts about the Madhav Gadgil report [report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by Mr. Gadgil]. My view is that even if we had implemented the Gadgil report in its letter and spirit, this could not have been avoided. This was caused by excessive rainfall,” he said.  

Mr. Rajesh said Kerala being vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change would have to reckon this aspect while planning its future. “But the government has already initiated measures to address these challenges,” he said.