Wayanad: Heavy rain causes river swell in 2024 landslide-hit areas, sparks panic

Time of India

25-06-2025

Wayanad: Intense rain lashed Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas in the district, which were devastated by a landslide in July 2024, causing the Punnapuzha river to swell on Wednesday.
The torrential flow of muddy water in the river raised fears of a fresh landslide, but officials later confirmed that no such event occurred.
According to the district disaster management authority, the heavy rain that began on Tuesday night led to a minor mud slip in the area where the 2024 landslide happened. From around 9.30 am, the river began rising sharply, with strong currents reaching just below the Bailey bridge constructed after last year's disaster.
The gushing waters breached the Attamala road and also submerged parts of the road to Punchirimattam.
However, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) as well as Wayanad district collector M R Meghasree said there was no fresh landslide. "The officials examined all the way up to Punchirimattom and there is no new landslide there. It is the existing debris that has now come down. It is natural and it is something that we should be prepared for," the collector said.
Officials from the forest and revenue departments, who surveyed the area, also found that portions of soil from the elevated slopes near the Vanarani estate had eroded. The collector said access to the affected areas had been restricted until the rains subsided. Livelihood assistance to people will be decided after discussions with the govt, she added.
KSDMA member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose said the erosion of the loose debris from the 2024 landslide would continue for some time.
"The eroded materials need to completely wash off. The river and its immediate buffer of no-go zone is well marked, also considering the possibility of eroded materials coming down," he said.
C K Vishnudas, director of the Hume Centre of Ecology that has been monitoring rainfall in Wayanad on a daily basis, said Mundakkai and nearby areas received 70 mm of rainfall till noon on Wednesday, which likely contributed to the river's surge.
With residents saying that they heard a large sound from Mundakkai hills, panic set in. Fire and rescue services, police and revenue officials reached the scene, and around 150 plantation workers of Harrisons Malayalam Estate and other estates, who were working in the area, were quickly evacuated in tractors, trucks and other vehicles. The tribal families of Erattukundu colony were also relocated.
Part of the soil and other debris, which were stored along the riverbanks as part of desilting the river under a Rs 195-crore project, were also washed away in the heavy rain.
Following the landslide on July 30, 2024, 5.7 million cu m of debris flowed across 8 km along the Punnapuzha river, altering its course.
Meanwhile, protesting residents blocked revenue officials, including the village officer, tahsildar and ADM, saying that their safety was at stake and demanding that they should be provided a daily allowance promised for landslide-hit families.
The IMD has issued an orange alert for the district on Thursday. The collector has declared a holiday for all educational institutions, including professional colleges and residential institutions. Entry to all tourist spots in vulnerable areas has been prohibited.