Kalladi landslide: Cause, Responsibility Questioned After Tragedy Near Wayanad Tunnel Construction Site
Wayanad, Kerala: A massive landslide struck near Meenakshi Bridge, where work on the Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi twin tunnel project is currently underway. While at least eight people are feared dead, at least 4 are confirmed killed during the tragedy as rescue operations are still underway.
Notably, the area appears to be vulnerable as it is located closer to Mundakkai, which was the worst hit in the 2024 landslides. Soon after the landslide, the chief minister, VD Satheesan, called it an ‘unfortunate and preventable’ tragedy, while the agricultural minister Siddique termed it a clear case of lapse.
Read Also: At Least 4 Killed, Several Missing As Massive Landslide Hits Kerala’s Wayanad
Calling the landslide a man-made disaster, the minister said the mudslide occurred due to an unscientific way of accumulating mud there. PDW minister P K Basheer blamed the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) on behalf of the Kerala government, which is constructing the Rs 2,134 crore Wayanad Tunnel Project.
Basheer said the PDR had instructed the company to remove the mud from the excavation site, which was not followed, resulting in the tragedy. The chief minister also blamed the contract company for negligence, noting that the contractors ignored repeated government warnings to remove accumulated earth.
Read Also: Wayanad Landslide: Videos Show Horrific Moments Of Panicked People Running For Life
While being the Leader of the Opposition, VD Satheesan had opposed the government’s push to execute it without first conducting comprehensive environmental impact studies in such an ecologically fragile zone. Back then, he stressed the need to make proper scientific and ecological assessments before constructing the project.
Notably, environmental reports and conservationists had warned that the Wayanad Tunnel Project passes through highly fragile, landslide-prone terrain in the Western Ghats. The concerns flagged by the report include extreme landslide susceptibility due to heavy monsoon rains, groundwater depletion from aquifer drilling, among others.
Despite these reports of potential adverse impacts, the Supreme Court recently decided not to interfere in a challenge raised by the Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi against the construction of the project within the ecologically fragile Western Ghats zone. The court dismissed environmental petitions, determining the 8.7-km infrastructure project and saying the project seems to be of “national importance” in a land-starved State.
Wayanad Environment Protection Committee had alleged that the the tunel project was suicidal and was undertaken without scientific studies or an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The environmental activists had approahced the top court, pointing out that the drilling through extremely sensitive mountain ranges and could end up destablising the area and causing massive landslides such as Mundakkai and Chooralmala in 2024 that claimed over 350 lives.
