A man-made disaster which was waiting to strike Wayanad is the ideal word to describe the mishap that happened on Tuesday. Noted environmentalist Madhav Gadgil who headed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel that studied the current status of ecology of the Western Ghats of which Wayanad is a part had designated more than 50 per cent of the region as belonging to the Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 (ESZ-1) which means that the entire district is fragile and vulnerable to any kind of natural disasters.
The Kerala Government discarded the suggestions by the Gadgil Committee and turned a blind eye to the massive deforestation, quarrying and mining in Wayanad district. “Cash crops like tea, coffee, rubber and spice cultivation reigned supreme and the political parties that ruled the State gave away vast stretches of reserve forest lands to encroachers from Central Travancore and Northern Districts like Kasaragod and Kannur,” said P K Ramachandran, former member of Rubber Board and a botanist of repute.
T P Kunhikkannan, economist-turned-environmentalist who has studied the topography of Wayanad from Ground Zero and has authored many books and research papers said that it was a cardinal sin to distribute the reserve forest lands as patta to encroachers. “The forest area/green cover has depleted beyond recognition and this is seen as the main reason for the landslides that is marauding the nature. Organized religions play havoc with the fragile ecology of Wayanad by peddling lies and half-lies about Gadgil Committee findings,” said Kunhikkannan.
Both Ramachandran and Kunhikkannan were highly critical of the explosion in Resort Culture in the district. “The resorts that have mushroomed in Wayanad with the blessings of political parties have literally destroyed the district’s beautiful landscape,” pointed out Kunhikkannan.
According to John Peruvanthanam, who has dedicated his life in preserving the environment, said the cutting down of trees and levelling the hills have led to rain water percolating to the empty water pockets underneath the forests. “When the land could not take any more water, these pockets burst with stupendous force thereby causing death and destruction all around,” said John.
Landslides occur in Kerala’s High Ranges on a regular basis. The Kavalappara landslide that claimed more than 100 lives in 2019 and the one in Idukki that saw another hundred being swallowed by the mad flow of flood waters are still fresh in the minds of the people.
