When debris came crushing: How rains and undisposed mud led to a disaster in Wayanad
Torrential monsoon rains triggered a debris slide in Wayanad, Kerala, destroying infrastructure and endangering residents near an under-construction tunnel project. The disaster is being linked to the improper disposal of excavated soil on unstable slopes.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the environmental risks associated with large-scale infrastructure projects in ecologically sensitive, hilly regions during monsoon seasons.
A loud sound shook Palraj and Koodammal as the migrant Tamil couple in their forties stood waiting for a bus a few metres away from the Meenakshi bridge at Kalladi in Wayanad, Kerala, on the rainy morning of July 7.
“The sound had come from atop a hill just behind us. A few minutes later, we heard another booming noise and a huge pile of mud and debris charged towards us,” Palraj, a plantation labourer hailing from Madurai in neighbouring, recalled a day later.
The wave of mud crashed down the road, sweeping away the bridge and a tanker lorry parked along its way. As the heavy vehicle screeched to a halt a few seconds later after hitting a four-wheeler, Palraj and Koodammal found themselves under the lorry, stuck deep in mud.
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