A week has passed since the occurrence of landslide in Mundakkai, Chooralmala area of Wayanad district. Intensive search operations have been conducted to find the missing persons right from the day of the landslide. As such, the search is in progress today right from the epicentre of the landslide at Punchiri Mattam, with focus on Mundakkai, Chooralmala areas along the paths of the debris flown and through the Chaliyar River from Soochipara Waterfalls towards Pothukallu and up to Nilambur.
The search is being overseen by the Cabinet subcommittee. Special teams comprising the Army, Forest Department, and Fire Force have been deployed today. Helicopters are used to transport search teams to the tough terrains in the Sunrise Valley area, which is difficult for rescuers to reach. The goal is to ensure that no area in the region remains unchecked. Local residents and volunteers are providing significant assistance in the search operations.
Yesterday, six bodies were recovered, raising the confirmed death toll to 224. Five bodies were found in Wayanad, and one in Nilambur. Thirty unidentified bodies and 154 body parts were cremated at Puthumala in the Harrison Malayalam Limited Plantation cemetery with prayers from all faiths. So far, rescue workers have found 150 bodies in Wayanad and 74 in Nilambur. Additionally, 181 body parts have been recovered, including 24 from Wayanad and 157 from Nilambur. The Wayanad District Collector has been instructed to acquire more land under the Disaster Management Act for burying the bodies and body parts. A total of 154 people are reported missing, with 88 still in hospitals. There are 1381 people staying in nine camps in the Chooralmala area.
The Cabinet subcommittee, in its meeting yesterday, directed to intensify search operations along the banks of the Chaliyar River and in the forest areas. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard will be consulted promptly to check if bodies are floating in the sea.
Efforts are expedited to identify the unidentified bodies through DNA testing. The possibility of conducting DNA tests in private labs under the new Criminal Procedure Code will be examined.
Instructions have been given to ensure the quality of food provided to those in camps, to the search & rescue personnel and volunteers.
Those who were displaced due to the landslide need to be relocated from school camps. Necessary facilities will be ensured while relocating them.
There are people in flood relief camps as well. Homes that can be made habitable once water and mud recede will be made ready for safe return. Valuables from affected homes will be secured with police presence if possible.
Buildings severely damaged and at risk of collapse will be identified and, if necessary, demolished without the owners' consent under the Disaster Management Act 2005.
The Chief Secretary has been tasked with consulting senior officials to decide on the continued efforts of the Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) in search and rescue operations.
The Relief Commissioner has been assigned to take necessary steps for the visit of a four-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) led by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Law and order in the landslide-affected areas must be strengthened. Only necessary volunteers and officials will be allowed to enter the affected areas, as ensured by the police.
The Public Works Department will assess the damage to immovable and movable property, and the Disaster Management Authority will conduct a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).
The search in the Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punchirimattam areas is divided into six sectors with 1174 personnel deployed from various forces. Eighty-four Hitachis and five JCBs are being used for the search. A total of 913 volunteers and locals, divided into 112 teams, are working with the forces. Dog squads from the Police, Army, and Tamil Nadu Fire Force are also involved in the search.
Wards 10, 11, and 12 of Meppadi Grama Panchayat, directly affected by the landslide, have been declared disaster-affected areas. Steps will be taken to provide 180 workdays through the employment guarantee scheme. The Public Works Department is assessing the damage to collapsed buildings. Experts will decide on the buildings to be demolished.
Food and drinking water distribution in relief camps and search areas are being conducted efficiently. The quality of food is ensured through proper inspections. Yesterday, 4570 breakfast packets and 7877 lunch packets were distributed in the search areas.
Operations of two destroyed ration shops in the affected area have resumed in Meppadi. Mobile Maveli stores are being used to deliver essential items. Essential goods from Supplyco outlets are being distributed to the camps as requested by the respective village officers. Gas agencies have been instructed to provide replacement gas cylinders, regulators, and passbooks for those who lost them in the disaster. All ration shops in the district have been supplied with the ration items for distribution for the month of August.
Counselling services are being provided to the disaster-affected. So far, 2391 people have received counselling. New phones and SIM cards will be provided to those who lost their mobile phones. Free ration distribution through ration shops in the disaster-affected areas has also been directed.
The district Child Protection Unit has started the "Kuttiyidam" project to reduce the mental stress of children in relief camps. The project aims to engage children in creative activities and alleviate the traumatic memories of the disaster.
A special team of 121 members has been formed to provide mental health support to the disaster victims. The team, led by the Health Department, will ensure services through mental health help desks in hospitals, relief camps, and homes. Special consideration will be given to children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Classes will resume at the relief camp operating at Meppadi Government Higher Secondary School once the camp is relocated. The Deputy Director of Education has been appointed as the nodal officer to inspect the basic facilities of the damaged Vellarmala Government Vocational Higher Secondary School and Mundakkai Government GLP School. Transportation facilities and computers will be provided for the students.
The first term exams scheduled from September 2 to 12 at Vellarmala and Mundakkai schools have been postponed and will be conducted later. If exams need to be postponed at any other school, action will be taken based on the report from the Deputy Director of Public Education. Furniture, textbooks, study materials, and school kits will be provided for the students who lost their belongings. Online classes have been started for students of schools operating as relief camps. Vellarmala School will be reconstructed under the same name as part of the comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the township.
The conditions of the tribal families relocated from Erattukundu to the camp in Attamala are satisfactory. Twenty-four people, including children, are staying in the camp. The Forest Department is taking care of a family that sought refuge in a cave above the Soochipara Waterfalls. All tribal families have survived the landslide disaster.
Hundreds of ambulances have been tirelessly operating in the disaster area. According to the Motor Vehicles Department, 237 ambulances participated in the rescue operations. Thirty-six ambulances, including two Advanced Life Support ambulances and ten Basic Life Support ambulances from the Health Department, are in the disaster area. Ambulances will be given passes for entry into the disaster area as needed, with the rest parked at Meppadi Polytechnic College Ground. Additionally, ambulances from volunteer organizations outside the district have arrived.
Ambulance services are essential for transporting the deceased to hospitals and cremation sites. Many ambulances arrived voluntarily for the rescue operation, and their service is commendable.
Many volunteers and organizations have come forward to assist in the Wayanad disaster rescue operation. Through the district administration's system, 18,000 people have registered as volunteers, with 5400 from Wayanad district alone.
Each day, volunteers are deployed to disaster areas based on the task force's instructions. Between 750 and 1000 volunteers are engaged in the rescue operation daily, with 1126 volunteers working today alongside the task force. Additionally, 140 teams have registered for volunteer work and will be utilized as needed. The youth organizations that have selflessly contributed deserve special mention.
Over 150 staff members have been deployed for post-mortem work. Employees from various medical colleges, including Kottayam, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, and Kannur, and hospitals in Wayanad are involved. Doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, head nurses, and cleaning staff are working in three shifts initially and two shifts currently. Sixty staff members are engaged in post-mortem procedures today. Their contribution, along with the rescue operation, is invaluable.
ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar, who is responsible for law and order, has been in Wayanad since the disaster occurred. He is coordinating the rescue operations from there directly.
Guest workers residing in the Mundakkai, Chooralmala areas are safe. Three guest workers went missing, and one died in the landslide. One person is receiving treatment at a private hospital in Meppadi. A total of 406 people have been relocated to various camps in the district from this area. These workers and their families are employed at Harrison Malayalam Limited, Ranimala Estate, and other places. They hail from Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. There are 321 workers from Harrison Malayalam Limited and 28 workers from the Ranimala Estate area.
The district administration ensures counselling and food for guest workers in the camps. The Labour Board will provide financial assistance to plantation workers and guest workers. Medical assistance will also be provided to guest workers.
The Cabinet subcommittee is coordinating activities from Wayanad. Ministers K. Rajan, P.A. Mohammad Riyas, and A.K. Saseendran are present on-site. Regular meetings are held with the District Collector and departmental officers to review activities. The activities of various departments have been analyzed, and the Ministerial Committee has given directions accordingly.
The State Disaster Management Authority, Revenue Department, Health Department, and the respective departments are actively participating in rescue operations. All officers will stay at their assigned posts until the end of the rescue operations.
Disclaimer: The above is a contributor post, the views expressed are those of the contributor and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.
