Today’s Ten: Wayanad disaster was completely avoidable
By Pradeep Damodaran in Media News on Wednesday, 31st July 2024 at 5:07pmThe massive landslide in Wayanad that killed over 122 persons and flattened several villages besides changing the course of water bodies was a disaster waiting to happen. Before we get into why it was waiting to happen, let’s look at what happened.
According to a report in The Hindu, the first landslide occurred at 2 am when a waterlogged hillock 6 km from villages that abutted the Iruvanipuzha river gave away due to the incessant rain. The moving landmass roared over the devastated locality and plunged into the swollen river, changing its course and flooding neighbouring localities. “The cascading wave of sodden mud, boulders, and uprooted trees measured at least two floors in height if the waterline visible on multi-storey school building was anything to go by,” the report stat...
To continue reading this article...