The Kerala government has informed the National Green Tribunal that quarrying activities were not responsible for the massive landslides that claimed hundreds of lives in Wayanad district on July 30.
A report submitted by the Department of Environment before the Southern Bench of the tribunal, dated September 26, 2024, stated that no quarries were operational in a 10-km radius of the origin of the landslides. The tribunal had taken suo motu cognisance of the disaster based on the report published in The Hindu.
The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) had issued prior environment clearances for 27 quarry projects since 2017 in 12 villages under Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady, and Vythiri taluks, it said.
27 quarries
While plotting the locations of the 27 quarries in Google Earth images, it was noted that the nearest mining project was about 7.5 km away from the triggering point of the landslides. However, the quarry was not functional. All other quarry project sites were located more than 10 km from the origin of the landslide, it said.
The report said that the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the SEIAA had not issued environmental clearance for mining projects in the 13 ecologically sensitive villages in Wayanad district. The SEIAA had not issued environmental clearance for commercial buildings and construction projects with an area above 20,000 sq ft in Wayanad, it said.
The Department of Environment said the disaster area had received very heavy rain (more than 115.6 mm) on July 30 as per the 24-hour rainfall data from the India Meteorological Department. For two weeks prior to the landslide, the area had been subjected to nearly continuous rainfall, with only short breaks, leading to saturated soil. Kalladi, situated about 4.5 km from the landslide area, had recorded 372.6 mm rain in a 24-hour period on July 30 and around 2,090 mm of rainfall over the 30 days prior to the landslide.
Published - September 30, 2024 07:16 pm IST
