More than 400 buildings come up every year in landslide-ravaged Meppadi; mostly unauthorized

KALPETTA: The government documents clarified that construction activities are rising every year in the Meppadi Panchayat, where the landslide struck. More constructions are seen in the tourism sector.

According to government data, more than 380 residential and non-residential buildings registered by the local body come up every year within the panchayat limits. 431 new buildings were registered in the panchayat during 2021-22 and 385 in 2016-17.

As per the list of the local self-government department, there are 44 illegal resorts in Meppadi Panchayat, said panchayat secretary Naushadali. ‘We received the list hours before the landslides occurred in Mundakkai and Chooralmala within the panchayat. The construction of many resorts was progressing in Mundakkai. There are threats to the panchayat from resort owners.

A vehicle carrying tourists was sent back due to heavy rains on Monday. They had booked a room at an illegal resort in Mundakkai for Rs 10,000. Wild animals used to roam around in Mundakkai earlier. However, the people of the resort chased them away by bursting firecrackers and firing rubber bullets,' said Naushadali.

Naushadali said there has been a leap in the construction of resorts in Meppadi as many buildings are coming up under the A2 category, meant for tourist homes, dormitories etc.

‘I received 30 applications in just four months to build residential buildings in the A2 category. All these are above 1500 square feet. The panchayat secretary revealed that many buildings below 1500 square feet are also coming up in Meppadi.

According to the information of the state disaster management authority, the places fall under Vellarmala village are high landslide-prone areas. The authority said the risk of landslides is high in Puthumala, Mundakkai, Vellarmala and adjoining forest areas.

Kalpatta block includes most of the buildings in Wayanad. As per records, 3,662 new buildings were constructed in the Kalpatta block during the financial year 2021-22. Meppadi and Vythiri panchayats are included in this block. More than 12,000 new buildings come up in the district every year and most are residential ones.

According to studies, 85 percent of Wayanad was under forest cover till the 1950s. However, by 2018, 62 percent of the forest has disappeared due to deforestation. This has exposed the district to widespread landslide threats. Studies have also pointed out that the government policy has led to deforestation in Wayanad, where the area of plantations has increased during this period.