Mild tremors were reported in various parts of Wayanad district located near Meppadi panchayat in Vythiri taluk on Friday, August 9, said Kerala revenue department. The district administration has started evacuating people from the affected areas, which include Ambalavayal, Mankoom, Nenmeni, Sugandhagiri, Achuran, Vengappally, Thekkumthora, Anappara, Thazhathuvayalil, and Pinangode.
District Collector Meghashree said that necessary steps are being taken to ensure public safety as a precautionary measure. Classes for students have been suspended and offices closed. Residents have been counselled not to panic. According to reports, neither the National Centre for Seismology nor the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) have detected any significant tremor in Wayanad. None of its stations and sensors in Kerala has reportedly recorded any seismic activity.
An official from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) told The Hindu that authorities were examining seismic records in the Pozhuthana region. “Officials have been sent to the locality to determine if anything anomalous occurred. Seismic records, as of now, do not reveal any indications of movement.”
Wayanad was hit by successive landslides that claimed over 300 lives and left more than 150 individuals. The worst-hit areas are Mundakkai and Chooralmala. Government data reveals that approximately 9,328 displaced persons are presently housed in 91 relief camps across the district.