Did unchecked rise in construction, tourism lead to Wayanad landslides? Here's what we know

The Wayanad landslide that devastated Kerala’s hilly region for the second time after 2019 shows that no lessons were learned as unchecked construction with mushrooming tourist resorts, connecting roads, tunnels and quarrying activities continued despite red flags by experts.

The landslide on July 30 has completely washed away some villages leaving over 280 dead, while many are still missing. Wayanad, known for its scenic beauty, has become a tourist hotspot leading to massive construction activities in the name of eco-tourism activities which often go unchecked. With mushrooming tourist resorts comes other infrastructure like connecting roads without assessing the carrying capacity of the region.

To attract more tourists, the Kerala government has also proposed a four-lane underground tunnel to cut down the travel distance between Anakkampoyil in Kozhikode and Meppadi in Wayanad from 85 km to 54 km. According to reports, the landslide crown is close to the proposed tunnel site.  

“The Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC) has granted stage 1 forest clearance for the 7.64 km tunnel project. The land acquisition for the project, which has an estimated cost of Rs 1,643 crore, is almost complete, and the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), which prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR), floated tenders in May 2024,” quoted a media report.

Deforestation, rapid urbanisation, unplanned development and poor planning are significant factors exacerbating the climate crisis in India, warn experts.

“Construction of roads should be done with all scientific techniques. At present, roads are being made or widened without taking proper measures such as no slope stability, lack of good quality retaining walls and rock bolting. All these measures can restrict the damage done by landslides up to some extent,” said Y P Sundriyal, Head of Department, Geology, HNB Garhwal University.

In 2011, the region that faced the landslide was demarcated as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA) by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel led by ecologist Madhav Gadgil. The panel in its report recommended regulating construction, mining and quarrying activities in Western Ghats, one of the eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity in the world. However, the report after several revisions is yet under the consideration of the Union Environment Ministry as the seven Western Ghats states have raised their concerns about the recommendations.

Roxy Mathew Koll, Climate Scientist, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, called for early warning systems to curtail the damage from natural disasters. “Roughly half of Kerala are hills and mountainous regions where the slope is more than 20 degrees and hence these places are prone to landslides when heavy rains occur. Other than climate change, we also need to evaluate the land use changes and development activities happening in landslide-prone areas. Often landslides and flash floods occur over regions where the impact of both climate change and direct human intervention in terms of land use changes are evident,” said Koll.

A 2022 study on depleting forests in Wayanad showed that 62% of the green cover in the district disappeared between 1950 and 2018 while plantation cover rose by around 1,800%. The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, said around 85% of the total area of Wayanad was under forest cover until the 1950s.

The Western Ghats have been classified as an ecologically fragile region. According to recent research by the Indian Institute of Science, the 1.6 lakh sq km of hats in six states have been divided into four ecologically sensitive regions (ESR): very high ecological fragility (63,148 sq km), high ecological fragility (27,646 sq km), moderate ecological fragility (48,490 sq km) and low ecological fragility (20,716 sq km).

Experts also call for strengthening infrastructure by investing in climate-resilient bridges and roads, which will help withstand extreme weather events and facilitate quicker rescue operations.

“Promoting sustainable land management is also crucial; practices such as reforestation, controlled deforestation, and sustainable agriculture can maintain hillside stability and reduce soil erosion, thereby lessening the effects of heavy rains,” said Prof Anjal Prakash, Clinical Associate Professor (Research) and Research Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business and IPPC Author.