Wayanad ground report | Locals recall quicker evacuations during 2019 landslides

The question that continues to haunt the people of landslide-hit Wayanad in Kerala is whether the deaths could have been prevented.

The Federal team, in Wayanad to cover the landslide rehabilitation efforts, found that many people – like KK Sahad, a former president of the Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad – strongly believe that "more serious efforts" to evacuate the residents of Chooralmala would have reduced the death toll.

The 2019 landslides

Talking to The Federal, Sahad recalled what happened on August 7, 2019. As the Meppadi panchayat president, he had received a call from locals alerting him about the small landslides happening uphill amidst heavy rains.

Sahad had sprung into action, alerting the authorities and gathering a small team with ward members and volunteers. Together, they conducted a massive evacuation, rescuing more than 350 people.

“When we started alerting people and urging them to move to safer places, there was resistance. Many did not want to leave their homes. Some argued with us, forcing us to call the police for assistance. A few residents had to be carried on chairs to a nearby camp,” Sahad told The Federal.

“Some ignored our repeated requests while others went back to retrieve belongings. The next day, the inevitable happened. Massive landslides swept away 53 houses, leaving 17 dead. I can confidently say that our evacuation efforts saved many lives; otherwise, the death toll would have been much higher,” said Sahad.

Signs of looming disaster

On the fifth anniversary of the Puthumala landslide, which coincided with an even greater tragedy in Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad, just 2 km away, Sahad was still actively leading relief efforts. If more serious efforts had been made to evacuate the residents of Chooralmala, it could have saved more lives, he told The Federal.

This time, too, there were signs of potential landslides despite the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD's) alleged failure to issue a red alert. In fact, the residents of Punchirimattom and Mundakkai had been preparing for floods and mudslides. Regional TV reporters were in Chooralmala a day before the devastating landslides, telecasting reports about the looming danger.

“There were some small landslides uphill, and we could sense the danger through the smell and the change in the colour of the river water,” said a resident Dineshan, who survived the landslide by sheer luck and is now in the relief camp at Meppadi.

“There was incessant rain, but even our greatest fear did not go beyond a potential flood in the river due to landslides in the uphill forest area. Some of us living along the riverbanks had relocated to places we thought were safe, but a disaster of this magnitude was beyond anything we could have imagined,” added Dineshan on a grim note.

WhatsApp alerts ignored

The Meppadi panchayat had anticipated the severity of the situation and sent alert messages via WhatsApp groups, even initiating evacuations from some areas.

Residents from these regions moved to the homes of friends and relatives in Mudakkal center and Chooralmala town. However, these areas ended up being among the most severely affected, resulting in the loss of many lives among those who had relocated there.

The Federal accessed an alert message shared on WhatsApp groups on July 29, which read: “Since 8:30 this morning, Meppadi Puthumala has received 163 mm of rain. Given the current conditions, there is a possibility that this amount may exceed yesterday’s total of 200 mm. Therefore, residents in these areas should remain vigilant.”

Unexpected catastrophe

Said K Babu, president of the Meppadi panchayat: “We had issued alerts through various means and evacuated people from potentially dangerous locations. Locals were confident these areas would not be affected. Chooralmala town was considered the safest place. When the Puthumala landslide occurred, people were taken to this location. We did our best to move people to safer places but many were unwilling to leave.”

Local residents, the panchayat and other stakeholders were anticipating a flood in the river at the most but not a catastrophe of this magnitude. This was evident from their actions leading up to the fateful day. However, no one experienced the level of alarm that Sahad had in 2019, which led to a massive evacuation.

Inadequate attempts in 2024

“When I insisted on evacuation in 2019, people strongly opposed me and the panchayat. But we proceeded with the evacuation. It was only after the disaster struck that they realised we were right,” recalled Sahad.

Suresh, an estate employee now in the Meppadi relief camp, said: “Some people say the panchayat sent WhatsApp alerts in Chooralmala and Mundakkai but I did not receive any. There was no follow-up either.”

According to Shyja Baby, a former member of the Mundakkai ward, the evacuation attempt was inadequate this time. She believes that people should have been removed from the area at any cost.

“I had been living in Mundakkai and had relocated to Meppadi a few years ago. When I visited the camps, my former neighbors were wailing, saying that if I had not been moved from Mundakkai, I might have saved them and many of them might still be alive. They were referring to our evacuation efforts in 2019. I felt immense guilt, and their cries still resonate in my mind,” said Baby.

Shyja, who is volunteering at a makeshift morgue in Meppadi, was instrumental in identifying more than 50 bodies from Mundakkai and Choorralmala. As a former ward member and later an ASHA worker, she knew nearly everyone in the village.

Shyja and Seenath C, a former member of Chooralmala ward, were at the forefront of the 2019 evacuation from Puthumala, a day prior to the landslide.

Politics at play

The Meppadi panchayat is now governed by the Congress-led UDF, whereas the CPI(M)-led LDF was in power during the Puthumala landslide.

Clearly, local politics may influence the comparison of the efforts made during the two disasters. However, most residents feel that the preparedness in 2019 was significantly better and many lives were saved though saving the houses was nearly impossible.

According to Sumesh Mangalassery, a social activist, the Kalpetta-based Hume Center for Ecology and Wildlife Biology had alerted the district administration about a potential landslide in the Mundakkai region. However, no effective measures were taken.

“Not only the panchayat but also the district disaster management authority should be held accountable. During previous landslides, they used the same data to rescue 50 people. We need to discuss these aspects once the rescue and relief operations are complete,” added Sumesh.