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Indian Express
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Centre's expert panel recommends environmental nod for twin-tunnel road near Wayanad landslide site in Kerala
The Union Environment Ministry's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on infrastructure projects has recommended environmental clearance for the 8.75-km-long twin tunnel road proposed between Kozhikode and Wayanad district in Kerala, close to areas affected by the disastrous 2019 and 2024 landslides. The four-lane tunnel road is proposed between Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi and will require blasting for construction in the fragile Western Ghats. In early April, the expert panel had deferred a decision on the proposal and had directed the Kerala Government to submit studies on the geology, landslides, and water drainage in the project area. During a meeting on May 14, the panel appraised these studies and recommended conditional clearance for the project. Key among the conditions was to follow the recommendations of the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR) to mitigate the impacts of tunnelling and blasting. In its geological study, the institute had said that tunnelling activities during construction, including vibration from blasting, can lead to landslips if it is uncontrolled. 'To manage this, a vibration monitoring plan shall be implemented before tunnelling starts, including demarcating impact areas and regulating blasting charges,' the minutes of the EAC's May 14 meeting noted. One of the conditions laid down in the clearance recommendation stated that the Kerala government would have to implement all recommendations of CIMFR to mitigate blasting impacts, and a compliance report would have to be submitted. The EAC also directed the Kerala government to establish the Appankappu Elephant Corridor, to facilitate the movement of elephants from South Wayanad, Nilambur North Forest division towards the Silent Valley National Park. It was also directed to commission a monitoring study on the endemic and endangered Banasura Chilappan bird found above the proposed tunnel. Additionally, the EAC has asked the state government to construct elephant underpasses at two locations as well as animal passages, such as culverts, for smaller animals. Following the devastating July 2024 landslide in Chooralmala-Mundakkai areas in Wayanad that killed 298 people, local environmental groups such as the Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi have opposed the tunnel road, fearing ecological hazards. The EAC has itself noted that the tunnel alignment passes through highly vulnerable terrain, prone to landslides, including the 2019 Puthumala landslide area. Besides, the project area includes villages demarcated as ecologically sensitive areas by the Centre in its draft notification on the protection of Western Ghats. The proposed 8.75-km tunnel road was cleared in March by the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), as the project size mandates appraisal only at the state level. However, the central-level EAC was appraising the project as the tenure of the members of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, which grants final approvals on the SEAC's recommendation, had ended. An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
Time of India
28-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
MoEF panel nod for Wayanad twin tunnel project
Kochi: The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change has recommended the Kozhikode-Wayanad twin tunnel project for environmental clearance. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The recommendation, subject to conditions, was made at a committee meeting on May 14 and 15. The Rs 2,043.74-crore Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi twin tube tunnel road project aims to reduce the travel time between Kozhikode and Wayanad. The project, which includes an 8.753-km long twin tube tunnel and a four-lane approach road, has drawn opposition from environmental organisations. The EAC observed that the tunnel alignment passes through a highly vulnerable terrain prone to landslides, where massive landslides occurred in 2019 and 2024, necessitating precautions during and post-construction to avert vibration-induced landslips. "All the recommendations made by the assessment of possible impacts due to blasting on various surface structures and surroundings during excavation of the road tunnel by the CSIR Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR) shall be implemented, and the status of compliance report shall be submitted along with the six-monthly report," the EAC observed. The govt should establish the Appankappu elephant corridor, preferably by direct acquisition of six plots of land adding up to 3.0579 ha, as these plots have forest on either side, and acquisition or prescribing compatible land use would effectively increase the existing tenuous linkage to about 1 km. It facilitates the movement of elephants from Camel Hump mountains (lying in South Wayanad, Kozhikode and Nilambur North forest divisions) towards the larger forested landscape of Nilambur South division, Karimpuzha Sanctuary and Silent Valley National Park. "A detailed monitoring should be commissioned on the small population of endemic and endangered bird Banasura Chilappan in the Sky Islands above the proposed tunnel. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The monitoring should look at the genetic vulnerability of the species due to disturbances caused by the tunnel, if any," the EAC adds. In its previous meeting held in April, the committee deferred its clearance and sought details on studies conducted on geology, geotechnical aspects, landslides and water drainage by expert institutions. The state-level expert appraisal committee had cleared the project in March.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tunnel road project: Kerala to provide clarifications to EAC in a week
Responding to the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) deferring clearance to the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel road project recently, the Kerala government is planning to provide the necessary clarifications sought in a week. The EAC on infrastructure projects of the Ministry of Environment has cited the proximity of the project areas to the ecologically fragile regions that have witnessed back-to-back landslides as the main reason for not providing clearance at the moment. It has demanded that the State furnish details on studies on geology, landslides, and water drainage, besides a detailed note on possible mitigation measures against landslides and flooding to be adopted during the construction of the tunnel and operation phases. Since the clarifications sought are mostly regarding the ecological impact of the tunnel, the Department of Environment, under the Chief Minister, is readying the necessary documents to be submitted before the Committee. 'We have all the documents necessary. We expect the clearance to be granted soon,' said Thiruvambady MLA Linto Joseph, who has been an active advocate for the tunnel road. He said that Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, which is carrying out the construction, would coordinate clarifications from the departments concerned. The State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) had recently granted clearance to the ₹2,043.74-crore project, despite concerns raised by environmentalists, with 25 suggestions to mitigate the adverse impacts. The EAC has noted that the tunnel passes through highly vulnerable terrain prone to landslides necessitating precautions during and after the construction to avert vibration-induced landslides. It also cited the possibility of aggravation of geological and biodiversity vulnerabilities due to the tunnel's alignment. The area is home to some rare bird species such as the Banasura Chilappan and the Nilgiri Sholakkili. The proposed project involves connecting two existing roads — Anakkampoyil-Muthappanpuzha-Marippuzha road and Meppadi-Kalladi-Chooralmala road — with a four-lane tunnel road that is 8.11 km long, and further linking it to State and National Highways, thus improving connectivity in north Kerala. The tunnel road is expected to be an alternative to the Thamarassery Ghat Road.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- The Hindu
EAC defers clearance for Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel road project
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on infrastructure projects of the Union Ministry of Environment has deferred from recommending clearance to the proposed Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel road that connects Kozhikode and Wayanad districts in Kerala, citing that the road would pass through ecologically fragile areas that have witnessed back to back landslides. The road passes close to Puthumala and Chooralmala that witnessed landslides in 2019 and 2024 respectively. The EAC has demanded the Kerala State government to furnish details on studies on geology, landslides and water drainage, besides a detailed note on possible mitigation measures against landslides and flooding to be adopted during the construction of the tunnel and operation phases. The State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) had recently granted clearance to the ₹2,043.74 crore project, despite the concerns raised by environmentalists, with 25 suggestions to mitigate the adverse impacts. The project size mandates approval only at the state level. However, the tenure of the members of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, which is to give final nod to the recommendations of the SEAC, has ended and hence the ball is now in the court of the EAC. The EAC has noted that the tunnel passes through highly vulnerable terrain prone to landslides necessitating precautions during and after the construction to avert vibration-induced landslides. It also cited the possibility of aggravation of geological and biodiversity vulnerabilities due to the tunnel's alignment. The area is home to some rare bird species such as the Banasura Chilappan and the Nilgiri Sholakkili. The proposed project involves connecting two existing roads, the Anakkampoyil- Muthappanpuzha- Marippuzha road and the Meppadi- Kalladi- Chooralmala road with a four-lane tunnel road, and further connecting it to the State and National highways, thus improving connectivity in North Kerala.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Central panel defers Wayanad tunnel project, seeks study details
Kozhikode: The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has deferred examining the environmental clearance proposal for the Wayanad tunnel road project, seeking details from the state govt on studies conducted on geology, geotechnical aspects, landslides, and water drainage by expert institutions. During its meeting, the EAC observed that the tunnel alignment passes through highly vulnerable terrain prone to landslides, where massive landslides occurred both in 2019 and 2024. This necessitates precautions during and post-construction to avert vibration-induced landslips. The subterranean 8.1-km-long Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi tunnel, cutting through the Western Ghats , is proposed to be built close to Chooralmala and Puthumala, which witnessed back-to-back landslides, at a cost of Rs 2,134 crore. As per the minutes of the meeting held on April 4, released on April 23, the committee pointed out that the area falls in an environmentally fragile region, with a high landslide hazard zone and ESA villages. It observed that the area also experienced an extremely severe landslide disaster in the recent past, with a very high death toll, loss of properties and adverse land modifications. "Therefore, all the anticipated impacts due to various activities envisaged under the project during the construction and operation phases must be evaluated with adequate scientific inputs and by considering up-to-date scientific literature available on such development projects elsewhere and their impacts," the minutes said. It stated that the vibration impact of blasting could be felt in the influence zone and nearby built structures. It is necessary to examine the possibility of accentuating landslide incidents in the area based on a detailed evaluation of the recent causative factors and impacts of the severe landslide experienced in the area. The EAC has asked the project proponent to provide detailed notes and presentations on all required studies conducted by expert institutions and their recommendations, besides observations of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) on the above studies, if any, and their recommendations. The committee has also sought mitigation measures proposed during construction and operation phases to protect the tunnel and adjoining areas from landslides/soil collapse, water discharge/flooding, etc. As per the MoEFCC notification dated July 31, 2024, Kodancheri, Nellippoyil, and Thiruvambadi villages of Thamarassery taluk in Kozhikode and Vellarimala village of Vythiri taluk in Wayanad fall under ESA villages. The area also reports endangered bird species such as Banasura Chilappan and Nilgiri Sholakili, five bird species under threatened categories as per the IUCN Red List, three vulnerable species, 14 species endemic to the Western Ghats, and 29 species under Schedule-1 and 155 species under Schedule-II of the WLP Act, 1972. Also, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve falls within the 10 km radius of the project alignment. The State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) had recommended environmental clearance for the tunnel road, prescribing 25 conditions to mitigate adverse impacts, including that the method for tunnelling selected should be such that it will not lead to ground vibration at the surface. Environmentalists, including Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, had opposed the SEAC approval, alleging that it was provided without proper study into the environmental concerns and risk of tunnelling in a landslide-prone area.
