Palakkad (Kerala): Dhoni, a hillside village in Palakkad district of Kerala, is abundant with a mystical charm that nature has bestowed upon it. The scenic place, with streams, rivulets and grassland which entices anyone passing by, now lies under a serious threat of landslides.
From 2018 through 2020 August, there have been over ten incidents of landslides and mud slips reported from the region, both mild and massive in nature.
The most recent landslip happened in the Valayar Forest Range at a higher level from the inhabited areas of Dhoni on August 7, 2020. In the landslide, huge rocks and debris had flowed down for about a kilometre, devastating and uprooting trees on its way down.
A major could be averted only because of huge trees blocking the flow of debris.
Locals of the valley alleged that the functioning of two granite quarries there led to several landslips during the past three years.
The granite quarries are being operated within a one-kilometre radius, along the Dhoni forest fringe. And a landslide in 2018 happened hardly 400 metres away from one of these quarries.
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The granite quarrying belt and Malambuzha dam are situated on both sides of the hill, making the region prone to natural disasters. The other side of the quarry area, the south of Malambuzha also witnessed a landslip for the first time in 2019. The debris flowing down into the dam during the landslide also affected the storage capacity of the dam, besides polluting the water.
People who have been living in this region for more than 40 years say that there had not been a single incident of landslip in Dhoni before granite quarrying started in the region.
A report by the National Centre For Earth Sciences indicates that the hilly areas of Dhoni are very vulnerable to landslides and mud slips, which leads to the water gushing out from the earth, flowing down along with the rocks, debris and slush and uprooting trees on its way down. This report was approved by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. However, no action was taken in the matter.
Local residents alleged that quarry operation in such a vulnerable area must have been permitted following a clandestine political intervention. Despite so many landslide incidents being reported during the past three years, there has been no intervention from authorities to stop the quarries from functioning, locals complained.
Residents of Dhoni continue to live in fear and hope that government authorities take necessary action to avert possible landslips in the region.
