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In the aftermath of the landslides in Wayanad, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday, August 4, said that a township will be constructed in a safer area for the rehabilitation of displaced residents affected by the calamity. The resettlement project will be completed quickly and discussions are underway to complete it, he said. More than 10,000 people have been shifted to 93 relief camps across Wayanad after multiple landslides struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Meppadi in the morning hours of July 30.
Free ration would also be provided to the residents of Mundakkai and Chooralmala. “The landslides should be declared as a national disaster. Rescue operations are in their final stages. The primary goal is to save as many lives as possible. Those involved in the operations have risked their own lives to do so. Identifying bodies and body parts recovered from the Chaliyar river in Nilambur has proved to be a challenge. With regards to the Vellarmala school that was destroyed, the education minister will visit Wayanad and take stock of the situation,” he stated.
The CM also said that a dedicated 'Help for Wayanad' task force has been established under the leadership of Joint Land Revenue Commissioner A Geetha to effectively handle the donations and assistance made to Kerala. “The responsibility of identifying bodies is with panchayats. There is a demand for religious ceremonies during the burials. Officials have planned to organise interfaith prayers. The people of Kerala are united and the spirit of humanity is resonating throughout the state,” Pinarayi Vijayan added.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, August 2, announced that the party will build more than hundred houses for the landslide victims in Wayanad. The former Wayanad MP, who is overseeing the rescue operations, stated that the present focus should be on finding the bodies, finding missing people and rehabilitation of the survivors. He said that a lot of survivors have told him that they do not want to go back to that area. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah also offered support by stating that their government will undertake the construction of 100 houses for the victims affected by landslides in Wayanad.
According to official figures, around 215 people have been confirmed dead so far and 143 body parts have been recovered. The postmortem examination of 212 bodies and 140 body parts have been completed. Special teams have been formed to collect and analyse DNA samples from body parts and that of dead bodies to identify the victims and match them to their nearest relatives.
Wayanad is a hilly region dotted by tea estates. The estate workers live in houses called ‘layams’ on the hills. Many of the layams were destroyed in the rains, while others have simply been devastated by landslides, trapping and killing the residents.