The Wayanad landslide disaster washed away the tourist villages of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, with the death toll crossing 400 and 150 missing. 500 were rescued, leaving behind the village in a barren land with houses, roads being destroyed, and crops in the swamp.
Wayanad lies in the Western Ghats, making it an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ). The Western Ghats are prone to landslides due to the rainfall they receive during the monsoon. Human intervention and habitation on the slopes of the mountains have made the Western Ghats’ ecology sensitive to landslides.
Landslides are mainly managed with mitigation, early warning forecasting, relief, and rehabilitation. The Wayanad landslide had failed to mitigate the disaster. Landslides can be mitigated only through mapping the areas that are sensitive zones and avoiding human construction, planting trees near the slopes, which retain the soil preventing the soil from acting as a landslide, and constructing retention walls to stop land from slipping.
Early Warning System
The India Meteorological Department’s prediction of rainfall in the area, measured in millimeters, can help in early warning management. Alert SMS warnings on mobile phones will ensure awareness among the people.
Relief and Rehabilitation
In the case of a post-landslide situation, medical measures such as treatment for the survivors, setting up camps for the distribution of essential food items, and the rehabilitation of survivors with all the damaged physical and psychological infrastructure are necessary. Physical relocation of the survivors to a proper social community and providing them opportunities to develop through special schemes is essential. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) should be treated to ensure relief from the nightmares and post-trauma.
Natural disasters are events over which humans can often only act as mere spectators. However, conserving nature can act as a barrier between human settlements and natural disasters.
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