Wayanad Landslide: Due to heavy rains in Wayanad, Kerala, landslides occurred at 4 different places late on Monday night. Four villages were washed away in the landslides that occurred between 2 am and 6 am. Houses, bridges, roads and vehicles were also washed away in Mundakkai, Choorlammala, Attamala and Noolpuzha.
So far 84 people have died. 116 are in hospital, while more than 400 people are reported missing. The incident happened at 2 am late night. SDRF and NDRF teams are present on the spot for rescue.
225 army personnel have been sent from Kannur to Wayanad. 2 Air Force helicopters were also sent for rescue, but due to rain they had to return to Kozhikode.
Here, the Kerala government has declared two days of state mourning in the state after this accident.
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Landslides have occurred in 4 villages of Wayanad – Mundakkai, Choorlamala, Attamala and Noolpuzha. 5 years ago in 2019, a landslide had occurred in these villages, in which 17 people died. 5 people are still missing. 52 houses were destroyed.
Apart from Wayanad, the Meteorological Department has issued a red alert in Kozhikode, Mallapuram and Kasaragod today. This means that there is a possibility of heavy rain here today too. Due to this, there may be problems in rescue operations.
Kerala government shuts down granite quarries in Kozhikode
After the Wayanad landslide, the health department has set up a control room. Also, two helpline numbers 8086010833 and 9656938689 have been issued for emergency health service. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said Vaithiri, Kalpatta, Meppadi and Mananthavady hospitals are on alert.
Due to the rains, tourists have been banned from visiting all tourist places in Kozhikode district. Apart from this, all granite quarries have been asked to close temporarily.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the death of people in the landslide in Wayanad. He assured the Kerala government of all possible help from the Centre. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those who died. The injured will be given Rs 50,000.
Wayanad Landslide Disaster: How did the ‘flood of death’ come?
According to local media, heavy rains have been falling in Wayanad, Kerala since Monday. The Meteorological Department has declared a red alert in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kannur districts on Tuesday. Heavy rains were the reason for the landslide in Wayanad. Houses and vehicles were swept away like paper boats in the landslide that came after continuous heavy rains. The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai town at around 1 am during the heavy rains. While the rescue operation was going on, the second landslide occurred near Choorlamala School at around 4 am. The school working as a camp here and the nearby houses and shops were filled with water and mud. The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for 4 districts including Wayanad, in such a situation the difficulties of the people may increase further.
Pictures after the landslide in Wayanad…
How did the ‘flood of death’ come?
According to local media, heavy rains have been falling in Wayanad, Kerala since Monday. The Meteorological Department has declared a red alert in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kannur districts on Tuesday. Heavy rains were the reason for the landslide in Wayanad. Houses and vehicles were swept away like paper boats in the landslide that came after continuous heavy rains. The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai town at around 1 am during the heavy rains. While the rescue operation was going on, the second landslide occurred near Choorlamala School at around 4 am. The school working as a camp here and the nearby houses and shops were filled with water and mud. The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for 4 districts including Wayanad, in such a situation the difficulties of the people may increase further.
How much damage was done, were tourists also stranded?
Meanwhile, Attamala, which has a good number of homestays, has been badly affected and rescue operations have begun and there are reports of tourists stranded. State Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who rushed to the spot, said it was too early to assess the extent of damage. “At least 53 people are admitted to a hospital here and there are six bodies. There are 13 injured people in another hospital, who have been admitted to the government hospital and there are six there too. We have begun rescue operations and are waiting for helicopters to arrive. A new ropeway will be built soon and the Army will also build a temporary bridge to rescue those stranded after the bridge was washed away,” Saseendran said.
PM Modi expressed grief and announced compensation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the death of 43 people in the Wayanad landslide. Along with this, he has announced an assistance amount of two lakhs to the families of the deceased and 50 thousand each to the injured. PM Modi wrote in an X post, “I am saddened by the landslides in some parts of Wayanad. My condolences are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Rescue operations are currently underway to help all the affected people. Spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and also assured all possible help from the Center in view of the current situation there.”
The troubles are not over yet…
The problems of the people of some districts of Kerala may increase further in the coming days. In fact, due to heavy rains, the water level of Banasurasagar Dam has increased significantly. In such a situation, people living on the banks of rivers including Panamaram Puzha, Karamanthod River and Kabani River have been alerted about the rising water level of the rivers. Water from the dam will be released to Karamanthodu at a speed of 8.5 cusecs (cubic meters per second). Last night the water level of the dam had crossed the dam’s rule level of 773.5 meters. A total of 35 cubic meters of water will be released from the dam.
5 years ago, 17 people died due to landslide in this area
Landslides have occurred in 4 villages of Wayanad – Mundakkai, Choorlamala, Attamala and Noolpuzha. 5 years ago in 2019, due to heavy rains, landslides occurred in these villages, in which 17 people died. 5 people are still missing. 52 houses were destroyed.
Where is very heavy and where is heavy rain alert
Very heavy rain (7 states): Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram.
Heavy Rain (17 States): Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Jharkhand.
How will the weather be in future
On July 31, there is an alert of heavy rain (more than 12 cm) in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Western Uttar Pradesh, Western Rajasthan, Eastern Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura. The
Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain (up to 7 cm) in Punjab, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Eastern Rajasthan, Western Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Konkan-Goa, Central Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala.
