Once bustling with tourists and tea estate workers, Chooralmala in Kerala’s Wayanad district is now a desolate town that stands as a grim reminder of the devastating landslides of July 30, 2024.
The tragedy claimed 298 lives, left 750-odd families homeless, and washed away properties and possessions built up over generations. Chooralmala was among the worst hit.
A year on from the landslides, fair price shop licensee N Manoj says life in the area has nearly come to a standstill. “This shop, catering to Chooralmala and Attamala villages, had 900 ration cardholders. After the tragedy, the number of cardholders who turn up has reduced to 290. Another shop in the city for Mundakkai and Puthumala villages had 1,200 cardholders, but now that figure has gone down to 320,” he says.
Many survivors of the tragedy are scattered in different places in Wayanad and beyond. “They will not return as many of them will get rehabilitated in the upcoming township (22 km away, in Kalpetta municipality). Even those staying in areas designated as safe zones want to leave. If there is a chance to leave, people are ready to take it. And there is nobody to buy land here,” says Manoj, who is also the leader of an action council for rehabilitation.
None of the shops and establishments destroyed in the tragedy have been repaired or reopened, with many parts of Chooralmala coming under a “no-go zone” as per the recommendations of an expert committee that looked into how safe these areas were after the landslides.
Many affected traders have taken their ventures elsewhere in the district after their associations extended financial support. A Bailey bridge erected by the Army in place of a destroyed concrete bridge is used only for transporting estate workers across the Punnapuzha river to Mundakkai and Attamala.
Barely 3 kilometres upstream is Mundakkai village, which once had resorts, tea estates and various spice plantations. After the landslides, it remains completely empty, as nobody is allowed to stay in the hills, which were also declared as no-go zones. Farmers and estate workers have to register their names with a police outpost at Chooralmala every day, as the presence of outsiders is strictly regulated in the area. When night descends, wildlife takes over the hills, which was once spotted with houses.
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Chamakkattu Prasanthan, an estate worker, travels 13 km to Chooralmala daily for work. “This month, I got only 13 days of work at the estate. Due to the red alert (declared earlier this month in the wake of intense rains), on most days we were not allowed to go to the estates,” he says.
Prasanthan, who lived in the estate quarters, had lost his brother and nephew in the landslides. His residence and a nearby dairy farm were completely washed away by the landslide. “Before the tragedy, there were around 300 estate workers living in this area. Now, the number has come down to less than 100. The tea factory near Chooralmala has not opened yet as workers are not allowed to live near the factory. The uncertainty over daily work and haunting memories of the tragedy had forced many to abandon work or seek jobs in other estate divisions. Many workers, who had once led a rather prosperous life, are now eking out a living by doing odd jobs,” he says.
Among the worst affected are 300-odd small-scale farmers in the region, who together lost 340 hectares of agricultural land that was destroyed by the landslides. Many tracts of farmland are also in the no-go zone. The region also used to produce around 500 litres of milk a day. Now, the daily procurement is only around 200 litres.
R Madaswami, who owned an acre of land, is now living at temporary premises 24 km away from the village. “I used to get Rs 4-5 lakh income from cultivating spices. Now, I am surviving on the daily relief of Rs 300 given to persons affected by the landslides. I have to feed my four-member family. The landslides left my farmland in rubble,” he says. “While I will get a house in the proposed new township, how will farmers like me live without any source of income?” he asks.
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The tragedy has also left K Annayyan, who was a prosperous farmer with 2 acres of land in Chooralmala, reliant on a small income from plying an auto-rickshaw, which was donated by a charity organisation. “For the loss of 2 acres of land, the Agricultural Department gave me a meagre compensation of Rs 37,000. We have to be allowed to cultivate our land. Let the government take it over after giving due compensation,” he says.
Meppadi Forest Range Officer B S Jayachandran says farmers who continue to work in the affected villages are having a tough time as attacks from wild animals have intensified after the landslides. “Unattended portions of estates and farmlands have turned into a haven for wild animals, especially elephants,” he says.
Mundakkai and Attamala villages contained 20 resorts, many of them with investment from local residents. These resorts have not resumed operations after the landslides. “The investment locked in the projects is around Rs 70 crore. We have been demanding that the government allow resorts to take in tourists. Adverse weather in the region is a major villain. A turnaround for the region is difficult, but if resorts are open, we will get a breather,” said panchayat member C K Noorudheen.
