One year of Wayanad landslide, no lessons learnt, allege environmentalists

Thiruvananthapuram: From tunnel road construction to tourism promotion, things have not changed at the ecologically fragile Wayanad despite the devastating landslide of 2024.

As the landslide that claimed over 300 lives turns one on June 30, environmentalists raise serious concerns over the rehabilitation projects of the state government as well as the boost being given by elected representatives, cutting across party lines, for tourism promotion.

The last one year even witnessed the expert committee of the state and the Centre giving clearance for the Wayanad tunnel road project at the ecologically fragile regions close to Meppadi that witnessed several landslides over the years, including the 2024 landslide. The expert committee itself lifted out a series of ecological concerns posed by the project. Even then permission was given to the around ten kilometre long Wayanad - Kozhikode twin tunnel road project, allegedly owing to political pressure.

Environmentalists also raise serious concerns over the rehabilitation projects like restoring the roads to the ecologically fragile region hit by the landslide. The decision to clear the debris from the Punnappuzha river is alleged to be a ploy to take huge quantities of granite and sand, they suspect.

"The priority of the government should have been to relocate people living in ecologically sensitive and landslide prone areas to safer locations. Already there are reports that around 4,500 families are staying in calamity prone areas of Wayanad," Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samathi (WPSSS - nature protection forum) president N Badusha told DH.

He also said that the hue and cry made by the elected representatives of Wayanad, including the current MP Priyanka Gandhi and her predecessor Rahul Gandhi, for tourism promotion of Wayanad goes against the ecological concerns of the region. There is no pressure from the political leadership to regulate the tourism activities in the ecologically fragile regions even as illegal tourism activities claimed a life recently, he said.

Wayanad based Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology cautions about the chances of further landslides in the region. "With a series of landslides in the region, it is quite evident that it is an ecologically sensitive region that faces risk of landslides or landslips in future also. Hence activities like tunnel construction is a cause for concern," Hume centre executive director and conservation ecologist C K Vishnudas said.

Environmentalists allege that the priority of the government seems to be to protect the interests of tourism, real estate and construction lobbies and not ecological protection despite serious concerns over climate changes.