Last Updated on 30/07/2024 by wccexam Desk
Urul Pottal… This is how landslides are called in Malayalam. Dozens of bodies have been found under the soil. Many are feared to be buried. Mundakki, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha villages have been the most affected. Wayanad is not the only district to face Urul Pottal. Districts like Kottayam and Idukki are also facing this problem. But Wayanad is the only plateau region in Kerala. That is, an area with high and low mounds of soil, stones and trees and plants growing on it.
According to a 2021 study by the Geological Survey of India, 43 percent of Kerala’s total area is a landslide prone area. 74 percent of Idukki and 51 percent of Wayanad’s land are hill slopes. This means the chances of landslides are very high. On top of that, there is heavy rainfall during monsoon. Who would not remember the floods of 2019 and 2020?
Read live news of Wayanad landslide here
Related news
- Animal-like brutality, wounds on every part of the body and an unknown killer… this is how the case of 20-year-old Yashashree’s murder got complicated
- ‘He eats my earnings, rules over me…’, woman beats her husband in the middle of the road, VIDEO
- On Chacha and Gacha…Akhilesh-Shivpal Yadav gave a befitting reply to CM Yogi, watch VIDEO
- WhatsApp will run with features like Instagram!
- Akhilesh and Anurag Thakur clashed in Parliament over Agniveer, SP chief said- I have studied from military school, then BJP MP’s reply- I am a captain in the army
The most sloped area in the 1848 square kilometer Kerala is in the Western Ghats. That is, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Mallapuram, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts. Most of the landslide cases are reported in these districts. In the year 2019, a total of eight districts of Kerala witnessed 80 landslide incidents. In just three days. 120 people were killed in this. In 2018, 341 major landslides occurred in ten districts. 143 landslides occurred in Idukki alone. 104 people died.
Rainfall occurred in different areas of Wayanad in the last 24 hours
vyatiri 28 centimetres (280 millimetres/11 in)
mannatoddi: 20 centimetres (200 millimetres/7.87 in)
Karapuzha 14 centimetres (140 millimetres/5.51 in)
Earlier such incidents were less in Kerala. But for the past few years it has increased rapidly. In the year 2019, 4000 mm of rain fell in Kurichiamala area of Wayanad. Whereas the average rainfall in a decade is only 2200 mm. That is, the possibility of heavy rain remains constant.
What is the reason for so many landslides?
felling of forests… Kerala has been known for its tea plantations for more than 100 years. But the decrease in the species of trees and plants has led to a decrease in the forests. The forests have also been cut down rapidly. The rainfall pattern has also changed due to climate change. Due to which landslides are increasing in the sloping areas.
geographical situation… This district is situated on the slopes of the plateaus of the Western Ghats. These are very steep slopes. There are valleys. There are hills. Therefore, there is a high risk of landslides in such areas.
Heavy rain… Wayanad sometimes receives more than 2000 mm of rain during the monsoon season. Due to this, the soil gets saturated. Due to which it gets eroded. And landslides occur.
The quality of the soil… Wayanad has mostly laterite soil. That means it is very weak and erodible. If it is saturated with rain, then its weight increases. But its strength is lost. It starts sliding.
Land use change is a big problem
The National Center for Earth Studies had made a hazard zone map about a decade ago. The area that was safe then has now become dangerous. Of the landslides that occurred in Vythiri in Wayanad in 2018-19, 41 percent occurred near houses built on slopes. 29 percent occurred along the roads.
17% of these happened near commercial lands. 10% happened in areas with trees and plants. Only 3% happened in forests. This means that such natural calamities occur only after a change in land use. Unplanned construction in the name of infrastructure development turns into such disasters.
How is the entire geographical area of Wayanad?
A plateau region with a height of more than 2695 meters i.e. 8841 feet. 40 percent of Kerala’s area is covered by the Western Ghats. A forested area with extreme humidity. Where landslides are inevitable even after a short spell of rain. Wayanad is situated in the middle of such an area. The 2130 square kilometer Wayanad is geographically divided into four parts.
Peninsular Genesic Complex, Migmatite Complex, Charnockite Group and Wayanad Group. Wayanad Group rocks are found in the northern region. Charnockite in the south and south-east region. This is actually a chemical-geographical way of describing soils and rocks. The district is situated at an altitude of 2084 m.
Most of the district gets water from the Kabani river and its branches. Flooding is natural in the plains because there are hills all around. The eastern part of the district is 1000 to 1400 meters high. Most of the area has clay-like soil. That is, it is weak and slippery. Therefore, the danger of landslides is high.
The biggest landslide ever occurred in Wayanad
In the Kurichiamala area of Wayanad, 150 acres of land collapsed due to landslide. 130 acres of tea garden and 20 acres of agricultural land. 17 families lost their homes. In the year 2020, Mundakki area received 900 mm of continuous rain in three days. But the administration had sent people to safer areas. As soon as the rain stopped, a big landslide occurred the next day.