Seven years on, Kavalappara hill still holds its dead
Seven years after a devastating landslide in Kavalappara, Kerala, the site remains an abandoned, overgrown settlement. Survivors continue to struggle with the long-term physical and psychological trauma caused by the disaster.
Why it matters
It highlights the enduring, often overlooked impact of climate-related disasters on rural communities and the challenges of long-term rehabilitation.
At 5.30 p.m. on a rainy day, it is already dark at Muthappan Kunnu, Kavalappara.
A concrete road through the hill remains partly intact but slippery. Empty houses stand amid thick undergrowth. Wild animals have increased. Rubber tappers avoid going alone and work only during the day.
It feels like a place people have left behind. Eleven victims of the 2019 landslide are still buried somewhere beneath the mud, adding to the eerie silence of the abandoned settlement.
On August 8, 2019, at 7.55 p.m., after two days of continuous rain, a portion of Muthappan Kunnu caved in. Fifty-nine people died. Only 48 bodies were recovered. The search continued for 19 days.
The landslide destroyed about 34 acres and displaced 84 families. All but 18 houses were destroyed. The remaining houses were later evacuated after the government declared the area uninhabitable.
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