A year after Wayanad landslides, stories of loss and resilience

Indian Express

31-07-2025

Whenever a motorbike thunders past, Vappu flinches. The 'thump' of its engine reminds him of the sound of rocks that came crashing down in the early hours of July 30, 2024, when Vappu and his family narrowly survived a series of devastating landslides in Wayanad. Triggered by days of heavy rain, the disaster wiped out the villages of Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Meppadi panchayat, leaving 251 dead, 378 injured, and 47 missing.
That night, Vappu was swept away by a gushing stream of water and debris. He slammed into a tree, broke his ribcage, and fractured both knees. Since then, standing for extended periods has become difficult for him, forcing him to give up his job as a painter. 'Something in me changed that night,' he says. 'I get panic attacks. It's like my body remembers everything.'
Their home in Chooralmala — one of 1,555 either severely damaged or destroyed — was lost in the landslide. The family now lives in a rented house, trying to piece their lives back together.
To rehabilitate the displaced, the Kerala government has launched a township project on 64 hectares near Kalpetta, which will have two-bedroom homes, each 1,000 sq ft, along with public institutions and commercial facilities. But not everyone has found a place on the official list.
Rashid, a stationery sales representative, was building a home at Punichirmattam in Mundakkai when the landslide struck. His property, just 400 metres from the origin of the landslide, falls outside the 'no-go' zone demarcated by the Mathai Commission, headed by geologist Dr John Mathai.
'Technically, we may be outside the affected area. But there is no way we can even approach our property now,' Rashid says. 'Five other families in Punichirmattam face the same issue. We've approached the district collector to be included in the township plan.'
Arun, a taxi driver from Chooralmala, finds himself in a similar predicament. 'We are not on the government's list of beneficiaries. NGOs are willing to assist but are waiting for final confirmation from the government,' he says.
Arun lost two aunts in the landslides. 'One body was recovered. For the other, only a hand and a leg were found. I couldn't sleep. I used to walk around all night. I needed seven rounds of counselling to recover,' he says. Even now, mental health professionals check in with him regularly.
Thirty-five-year-old Nikhitha KH, who lost her parents in the landslide, channelled her grief into action. She formed Lifeline Wayanad, a co-operative stitching unit that brought together 24 women affected by landslides.
'I thought we needed a place for us to come together. We already had an idea of starting a cloth carry bag unit. We approached the Wayanad District Collectorate, which connected us with MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. We had a 17-day training at the foundation's community agrobiodiversity centre,' says Nikhitha.
On March 8, International Women's Day, they launched their cloth bag brand Bailey: A product from Chooralmala, named after the Bailey Bridge built by the Indian Army to reconnect Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages after the disaster.
Operating from a rented facility in Rippon, Meppadi, the co-operative pays Rs 15,000 in monthly rent. 'The earnings are modest, but at least this initiative has given us a space to forget our sorrows and do something productive,' says Nikhitha.
Others, like Muhammed Basheer, who lost his tea shop in Chooralmala, had to start from scratch. 'Some merchant associations and social groups came forward to help me. I pawned some family gold and opened a new hotel, investing around Rs 9 lakh,' he says.
Business has slowed due to the monsoon, but Basheer remains hopeful: 'Once the rains stop, it will pick up again.'
But not everyone has been able to bounce back. Ponnayyan, a tailor whose shop was destroyed, is struggling in Kalpetta. 'I rented a room for Rs 15,000, but there's no business. I haven't paid rent for two months and may have to shut it down,' he says. The Rs 6,000 monthly aid from the government barely covers living expenses.
'We have no savings,' he says. 'It's becoming increasingly difficult every day.'
Wayanad's tourism sector, once a key source of income, suffered losses of over Rs 414 crore after the disaster. Among the hardest-hit were taxi and jeep drivers.
Jeep driver Sudarshan remembers waking up to find his vehicle lodged in his living room. With help from the Indian Union Muslim League, he received a new jeep.
'Earlier, we used to get daily trips to the 900 Kandi glass bridge at Kalladi, a place where only rough-terrain vehicles like jeeps can go. Now, we will be lucky if we get two trips in a week. Although the landslides had affected only two villages, people now believe the entire Wayanad district is unsafe to visit. We are hopeful that more tourists will visit in the coming years so that we will be able to live a better life,' he says.
Rashid, who lost his brother and 28 relatives, adds: 'My daughter saw me retrieve bodies. She hasn't recovered. I still attend counselling sessions… We are now living on ration kits and Rs 9,000 a month from the government for two of us.'
The displacement from villages has also affected social ties. 'We are like outsiders in the places where we stay on rent. It has especially been tough for older people who have no one to talk to in their new neighbourhoods,' says Nazeer Meppadi, a member of an action council which raises the issues of the landslide-affected people with government agencies.
Two schools — GVHSS Vellarmala and GLPS Mundakkai — were destroyed in the landslides. A month later, GVHSS Vellarmala was temporarily relocated to Meppadi. In May, all Class 10 students passed their board exams.
It was a herculean task to get children to focus on their studies, says V Unnikrishnan, former headmaster of GVHSS. 'The children didn't want to study or write exams… We had to introduce them to arts and sports activities.' The school invited artists and writers to speak with the students and inspire them.
'We treated them like our own children,' says Unnikrishnan. 'By the end of the year, 90 percent of them had recovered emotionally. For the rest, Unnikrishnan believes, 'time will heal everything'.