Just as the state was coming to grips with reality of a pandemic, a massive landslide hit Munnar on August 6, 2020. Within minutes, gushing water and mud buried an entire settlement of tea plantation workers and their families. A year after the tragedy, survivors are picking up pieces and trying to gauge the loss they may never be able to recover. Nejma Sulaiman reports
A mong the greenery of the Rajamala hills that surround Pettimudi, a tea worker’s settlement near Munnar, the scars of last year’s devastating landslide are still visible. The red earth is a stark reminder of the landslide on August 6, 2020, Rescue workers could only find 66 bodies before the official search was called off a month after the tragedy. Bodies of Dinesh Kumar, Karthik, Kasthuri, and her daughter Priyadarshini could never be found.
Since then, survivors have not only had to cope with the loss of family, friends and neighbours, but also with their homes and livelihoods. Now living in an estate lane provided by Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Ltd (KDHP) in Rajamala, 55-year-old Karuppayi is yet to come to terms with the death of 13 members of her family. She and her bed-ridden daughter Seethalakshmi and her nephew Vijay, 21, survived.
“I find it hard because all those people who I relied upon in times of need are no longer here. I wish the rain had carried me away as well,” Karuppayi said.Distraught by the loss of the family members, the burden of feeding the family fell on her. Her daughter needed constant medical attention as she suffered injuries after being pulled out from the debris.
For their part, the government and the KDHP authorities, where they employed, responded immediately and continued to provide emergency relief to the survivors. While there were complaints that 20 beneficiaries are yet to receive the government aid, the rehabilitation was largely a huge success with all people from different walks of life joining hands to support the community in distress.KDHP has built eight houses on the land provided by the government in Kutyarvalley spending Rs 1 crore. The project was completed within 100 days. Keys of the new houses were handed out on February 14, exactly six months after the occurring of the disaster.
Devikulam tahsildar K Radhakrishnan said all facilities have been arranged in the 550 sq ft houses. “New houses have power connection and road access. Protection walls have also been constructed,” he said.
Compensation has also been given out partially, he said.
According to him, authorities have distributed the promised financial aid of `5 lakh to 46 persons. Meanwhile, the process of fund allocation to 16 people is in the final stages. “The allotted fund will be transferred to the beneficiaries within two to three days. Meanwhile, legal representatives of two deceased persons have not yet approached the authorities to apply for the aid while the kin of remaining two persons have legal issues in their kinship certificate,” the official said.
“Once their certificates are cleared they will also be given the promised aid,” he said KDHP officials have built a tomb for the 66 victims who were buried in four mass graves in Rajamala. A memorial ceremony will be held on Friday. The name, age, and details of the deceased are engraved on black marble stones fixed on the graves.