Wayanad: In a mission to rebuild landslide-hit Wayanad, the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) began clearing debris from the riverbed of Punnappuzha at Chooralmala on Thursday. When the devastating landslide hit Mundakkai and Chooralmala on July 30, 2024, heaps of debris were dumped into Punnappuzha, altering its course.

The state government had sanctioned a total of ₹195 crore for the river rejuvenation project in March, which also includes river training procedures. The process involves not only clearing the debris but also ensuring better river management, maintaining a stable flow, preventing soil erosion along the banks, and applying river engineering techniques.

ULCCS has been entrusted solely with the task of clearing the debris and has already brought in the technical expertise of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kozhikode. The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali in Punjab, is also contributing its expertise to the mission.

A tributary of the River Chaliyar, Punnappuzha played a crucial role in channelising the devastating landslide that left hundreds dead and washed away parts of two villages—Chooralmala and Mundakkai. The river, once a giggling mountain stream just a few meters wide before the landslide, transformed into a giant force that devoured its banks, expanding to between 80 and 150 meters at various stretches. Now, while the stream has returned to a thin line just a few meters wide, the flow line remains vast, filled with heaps of debris.

From the landslide crown at Punchirimattam to Chooralmala
The landslide originated from Punchirimattam, a hillock over the mountains atop Mundakkai village, after midnight on July 31. At first, it washed away houses at Punchirimattam, the nearest hamlet just 100 meters downhill from the crown of the landslide.

The slush, mud, and rocks then flowed down, partially washing away Mundakkai village and continuing into the valley, erasing many paddy cottages of Harrison Malayalam Plantation Limited. A large lake of water and slush was formed. In a second landslide, the lake burst, and the entire mass of slush, water, and huge rocks surged down to Chooralmala village at lightning speed. Like a massive python devouring everything in its path, the landslide carved out both banks of the river. In its path, one side of Chooralmala street, with its houses and shops, was washed away along with its helpless residents. Only those who had sought refuge in houses and shelters away from the riverbanks escaped nature’s fury.

5.7 million cubic meters of debris 
According to expert estimates, approximately 5.7 million cubic meters of debris along an 8 km stretch from Punchirimattam to Chooralmala must be cleared to ensure the smooth flow of the river. Out of the ₹195 crore allocated for the project, ₹50 crore is earmarked for debris clearance, ₹140 crore for river training modules, ₹3.9 crore for monitoring and alarm systems, and ₹90 lakh for subsoil investigation and research.

ULCCS Chief Operating Officer Arun Babu stated that while the work has just begun, the mission is both complex and time-consuming. He told Onmanorama that the debris near Chooralmala village in the lower reaches mostly consists of slush and small rocks, while in the upper reaches near Mundakkai, huge rocks are either blocking or diverting the river's flow.

“It’s easier to clear the debris along the streamline at the lower reaches near the Bailey Bridge at Chooralmala, where we’ve started. But it will get tougher as we move upward toward Mundakkai,” he said.

Arun Babu added that the process is being streamlined with help from NIT Calicut experts, who are already associated with the mission.

One of the challenges, he noted, is that although similar landslides have occurred in states like Uttarakhand, such a large-scale riverbed clearance operation has never been undertaken anywhere in the country. A team of officials from the Department of Irrigation is also assisting ULCCS in the effort.