KAVALAPPARA (NILAMBUR): Though the state government has been taking efforts to rebuild a new Kerala in the backdrop of the 2018 flood, there is a clear disconnect between various departments in shaping a disaster-proof state.
For instance, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) Kerala unit has conducted an extensive study covering 1,943 landslide-vulnerable spots in the state after the 2018 flood and submitted its report to the state government.
But Mining and Geology Department officials say they have not received any report from the GSI to take preventive or precautionary steps at the local level.
Mathew Joseph, GSI Kerala director, said the landslide spot at Puthumala in Wayanad was clearly marked in red indicating that it is highly susceptible to a landslide. In the case of Kavalappara, the GSI team has put on record that the mudslip may be repeated in the area.
However, Ebrahim Kunju, former Malappuram geologist, said, “The Mining and Geology Department was not given any such map or report. Basically, our mandate is different from GSI, but we will always take action if there any such hazard map or report is provided to us,” he said.
More worrying is that the three-tier local bodies are not even sure about if it was the Mining and Geology Department or GSI that had conducted the study, leave alone the report and map.
Pothukallu panchayat president Karunakaran Nair and vice-president Valsala Aravindan said the geologists had intimated that there was a chance of a minor mudslip in Kavalappara once the rain subsided last year while ruling out a chance for a massive landslide.
Even after the entire monsoon last year, no mudslip occurred at the spot and the people never thought about a landslide, said Valsala.