Kerala Landslides: What Caused the Devastation in Wayanad | Explained

Over the years, research demonstrates that the unfortunate landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district, which sadly took 123 lives, were triggered by not just climate change, but also delicate topography and extensive tree cutting. Here's what studies said.

Kerala Landslides: Not only climate change, but several factors are behind the dreadful landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district that claimed 123 lives. According to studies conducted over the years, the perfect recipe for these devastating landslides includes climate change, fragile terrain, and loss of forest cover. Incessant heavy rain in the region triggered a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Wayanad on Tuesday morning. The natural calamity injured 128 people, and several are feared trapped under the mud and debris.

Kerala Landslides: Landslide Prone Region

Notably, the god's own country falls under the landslide-prone region as 10 out of the 30 most landslide-prone districts in the country were in Kerala, and Wayanad falls on 13th position, as per landslide atlas released by the ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre in 2023.

As per ISRO's atlas, 0.09 million square kilometres in the Western Ghats and the Konkan hills, which covers Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, are prone to landslides.

"The vulnerability of inhabitants and households is more significant in the Western Ghats due to the very high population and household density, especially in Kerala," the report said.

A study, which was published by Springer in 2021, stated that the major landslide hotspots are based in Kerala's Western Ghats region and concentrated in Kottayam, Wayanad, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. The study said about 59 percent of landslides occurred in plantation areas.

Kerala Landslides: Depleting Forest Cover

Research carried out in 2022 regarding the dwindling forest cover in Wayanad brought to light some alarming statistics. Between 1950 and 2018, the area surprisingly lost over 60% of its forests, while plantation lands saw an enormous leap, ballooning by nearly 1,800%. The concerning details were published in the reputable International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Interestingly, the lush greenery covered almost 85% of the total landmass of Wayanad until about the 1950s. Today, in the current era of climate change, the Western Ghats, counted among the top eight global biodiversity "hotspots", are increasingly prone to landslides. Scientists sound the warning bell, attributing this heightened risk to this unfortunate environmental shift.

According to S Abhilash, director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), the warming of the Arabian Sea made way for the formation of deep cloud systems that led to heavy downpours in the southern state in a short period, increasing the possibility of landslides.

"Our research found that the southeast Arabian Sea is becoming warmer, causing the atmosphere above this region, including Kerala, to become thermodynamically unstable," Abhilash said.

"This atmospheric instability, allowing the formation of deep clouds, is linked to climate change. Earlier, this kind of rainfall was more common in the northern Konkan belt, north of Mangalore," he added.

Kerala Landslides: Convective Rainfall

Abhilash and his team of scientists published a research study in the 2022 edition of npj Climate and Atmospheric Science journal. The study highlighted a growing pattern of convective rainfall across the West Indian coastline. This kind of intense, short-lived rain showers or localized thunderstorms is what characterizes convective precipitation.

Kerala Landslides: Ecologically Sensitive Area

The dreadful landslides also highlighted the warning of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, which is formed by the government under ecologist Madhav Gadgil.

The panel's report, which was submitted to the central government in 2011, recommended the government to declare the entire hill range an ecologically sensitive area, dividing into ecologically sensitive zones based on their ecological sensitivity.

About 14 years ago, a proposition was put forth for the banning of activities like mining, quarrying, setting up of new thermal power plants, and executing large-scale wind energy projects specially, in ecologically sensitive zone 1. Unfortunately, despite the length of time that has passed, these suggestions remain unimplemented. The lack of progress can be attributed to opposition from various state governments, industrial bodies, and even the local communities living in these regions.

(With PTI inputs)