Kalladi Landslide and concerns : GS TIMES IAS-PCS

A major landslide struck Kalladi near Meppady in Wayanad district, Kerala, on 7 July 2026, triggering a large-scale rescue operation at the Anakkompoyil–Meppadi tunnel road project site.

The landslide occurred near Meenakshi Bridge in the Vellarimala–Chembra–Aranamala hill range.
Following the incident, concerns have intensified over the safety and feasibility of the ₹2,134-crore Anakkompoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi twin tunnel project, which is intended to improve connectivity between Malappuram and Wayanad districts.
The project aims to:
- Reduce travel time between Kozhikode and Wayanad.
- Ease traffic congestion on the accident-prone Thamarassery Ghat Road.
- Promote trade, tourism, and regional connectivity.
A Kerala Minister alleged that the incident was not a natural landslide but resulted from unscientific dumping of loose soil at the construction site.
Following the incident, the Kerala Government suspended all construction activities on the tunnel project until the completion of two separate investigations.

Scientific Findings

A recent study conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in collaboration with Banaras Hindu University (BHU), following the 2024 Wayanad landslides, identified Vythiri Taluk as the most landslide-prone region in Wayanad district.
Large parts of Meppady, where the tunnel project is located, fall within high landslide susceptibility zones due to steep slopes, highly weathered geological formations, intense human activity and Land-use changes.

Landslides in India (Based on Landslide Atlas of India)

According to the Landslide Atlas of India, released by ISRO-NRSC, India is among the top four countries globally with the highest landslide risk, with an estimated loss of more than one life per 100 sq. km annually.
Aaround 0.42 million sq. km (12.6%) of India’s land area (excluding snow-covered regions) is prone to landslide hazards.
The Himalayan region and the Western Ghats are the country’s most landslide-prone areas due to rugged topography, fragile geology, and heavy rainfall.
The Himalayan States/UT of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand experience the highest frequency of landslides.
In the Western Ghats, especially Kerala, the risk to human lives and property is particularly high because of dense population, expanding settlements, and infrastructure development in ecologically sensitive areas.
Most landslides in India occur during the southwest monsoon (June–September) and are triggered by:
- Natural factors: Heavy rainfall, earthquakes, slope instability.
- Anthropogenic factors: Road construction, tunnelling, mining, deforestation, and unplanned urbanisation.
Landslides cause loss of human lives and property, damage infrastructure, accelerate soil erosion, increase sediment load in rivers, and degrade fragile mountain ecosystems.

Government Initiatives for Landslide Risk Mitigation

In 2019, the Government of India approved the Landslide Risk Mitigation Scheme (LRMS) for Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Uttarakhand to provide Central assistance for disaster preparedness and strengthen their capacity to undertake landslide mitigation projects.
The Landslide Risk Mitigation Scheme (LRMS) aims to enhance the preparedness of vulnerable States and support long-term measures for reducing landslide risks.
The Government has also approved the National Landslide Risk Mitigation Project (NLRMP) with a financial outlay of ₹1,000 crore.
The project will be financed through the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF).
The National Landslide Risk Mitigation Project covers 15 landslide-prone States—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
The project aims to strengthen landslide risk reduction, disaster preparedness, capacity building, and mitigation measures in vulnerable regions to minimise the loss of lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.