Kochi - A series of devastating landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains swept across eight Indian states in July 2024, claiming at least 304 lives. The unprecedented scale of the disaster was highlighted by a single incident in Kerala's Wayanad district, where 285 people perished on July 30, accounting for nearly 94% of the total fatalities.
According to data from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the remaining 19 deaths occurred in Karnataka and six Himalayan states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.
Wayanad: Fifth Most Landslide-Prone District in Kerala
The Landslides Atlas of India, 2023, published by the National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, identified the northernmost Himalayan states as the worst affected by landslides due to their location within the ecologically fragile Himalayas. However, the Western Ghats, particularly in Kerala, exhibit higher vulnerability due to high population and household density, despite experiencing fewer landslides than the Himalayan regions.
Wayanad district ranks 13th out of 147 districts in India based on socioeconomic indicators related to landslide vulnerability across 17 states and two Union Territories. Within Kerala, Wayanad ranks fifth among the 14 districts, following Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.
Human Toll Due to Landslides Highest in 20 Years in Kerala
The recent landslide in Wayanad marks the highest death toll recorded in Kerala in over 20 years, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau's Accidental Deaths and Suicides reports. Between 2015 and 2024, 669 people perished in landslides in Kerala, nearly seven times the 96 fatalities recorded between 2005 and 2014, indicating that landslides in this decade have been far deadlier.
Reasons Behind the Disaster
Climate experts attribute the Wayanad landslide to exceptionally heavy rainfall, a direct result of warming in the Arabian Sea. The district received 6% of its annual rainfall in just a few hours on July 30, 2024, according to an analysis by Down to Earth.
Kerala's mountainous topography and hydrological features increase its vulnerability to natural hazards. However, environmentally damaging activities such as deforestation and unplanned construction are key drivers behind this devastation, as warned by expert panels led by scientist Madhav Gadgil and the Kasturirangan Committee in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Shrinking Forest Cover and Increasing Tourism Burden
Wayanad district's forest cover decreased from 1,775 square kilometres to 1,580.51 sq km, a nearly 11% decline over 14 years, according to Forest Survey of India reports. Simultaneously, the number of tourists visiting Wayanad increased eightfold between 2005 and 2022, raising concerns about the impact of development activities in this ecologically fragile district.
Call for Action
The disaster in Wayanad serves as a warning to other ecologically vulnerable districts in Kerala and neighboring states. The National Green Tribunal has expressed concern and decided to take up a suo moto hearing on the matter. As the region grapples with the aftermath of this tragedy, there is an urgent need for comprehensive scientific studies and sustainable development practices to mitigate future disasters in this vulnerable landscape.
