Wayanad Landslides: Kerala has been devastated by a cluster of clouds. Were the mountains here, like at Kedarnath, obstructing the clouds' journey too?

Kerala is expected to see extremely heavy rain, downpours, and heavy rain during the course of the next week. It appears like this will continue to occur. due to the fact that a cloud cluster has been assembling above Kerala in the Arabian Sea for several days. That's why Wayanad has seen such horrific destruction.

The Arabian Sea's heat. Over it, clouds began to gather. Kerala was devastated as a result of this. The next seven days remain hazardous. For the next two to three days, there is a chance of thunderstorms and heavy rain in various parts of Kerala, according to the Meteorological Department. This also includes Wayanad.

The weather department had clearly said that there will be heavy and very heavy rains on 30th and 31st July. 7 to 11 cm of rain in the first 24 hours and 12 to 20 cm of rain on the second day. That is, this is an extreme situation. Its effect will be felt in Wayanad, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod. There is a high possibility of rain in almost the same areas on the second day as well. Rescue work in Wayanad is also being carried out amidst the rain.

Over the sea, the winds are blowing between 35 and 45 kilometers per hour. As a result, it has been urged that fisherman avoid the water. The threat of landslides and severe rainfall meant significant devastation. whereby alerts were sent out on potential flash floods, home damage, tree uprooting, power outages, etc.

Why is there so much rain?
The Meteorological Department's satellite image makes it abundantly evident that clouds have accumulated close to Kerala. The tall mountains of the Western Ghats, which are situated east of Kerala, could not have provided these clouds with a path to propagate or advance. It is why the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy happened.The Arabian Sea is becoming warmer quite quickly. According to A. Abhilash, Director of Cochin University's Advanced Center for Atmospheric Radar Research, Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Mallapuram are experiencing heavy rains. The sea has a trough in it. The whole Konkan region is impacted for two days as a result. The circumstances now are just the same as they were in 2019. Here, a mesoscale cloud structure is now forming.

Charnockite Group, Migmatite Complex, Peninsular Genesic Complex, and Wayanad Group. Rocks from the Wayanad Group are located in the north. Charnockite in the eastern and southern areas. Actually, this is a chemical-geographical description of rocks and soil. The district is 2084 meters above sea level. The Kabani River and its tributaries supply water to the majority of the area. Plains flooding is a normal occurrence. due of the hills that are around. The district's eastern portion is between 1000 and 1400 meters elevation. The soil in much of the region resembles clay. In other words, flimsy and feeble. Landslides are therefore quite likely. Why are there so many landslides? Deforestation occurs. For almost a century, Kerala has been recognized for its tea plantations. But The decline in plant and tree species has resulted in a reduction in the number of forests. Rapid forest loss has also occurred. The rainfall pattern has also altered as a result of climate change. As a result, there are more landslides in sloped terrain. Geographical location: The Western Ghats plateaus' slopes are home to this district. The hills here are rather steep. These are valleys. Hills are present. Thus, there is a significant chance of landslides in these places. Excessive rainfall: In the monsoon season, Wayanad experiences up to 2000 mm of rain. The earth becomes saturated as a result. It erodes as a result, and landslides happen.
Soil quality  Wayanad's soil composition is mostly laterite. That is, extremely feeble and corrosive. Its weight rises if it becomes wet from rain. However, the strength is gone. It stumbles.

Land misuse resulted in serious issues.

A map of a hazard zone was created by the National Center for Earth Studies around ten years ago. the region that was previously secure. It is currently in jeopardy. In Vythiri, Wayanad, 41% of the landslides that happened in 2018–19 happened close to homes that were slope-built. 29% of incidents happened near a road. 17% took place on business property. 10% happened in places with vegetation and trees. There were just 3% in woodlands. This implies that these kinds of natural disasters only happen when land use changes.

Why the clouds are gathering

Researchers have noticed that in the Arabian Sea, close to Kerala, a very deep cloud structure is forming. This is the Arabian Sea's southernmost region. There is still this system in the water. However, occasionally it approaches the land. As it occurred in 2019.

This has an impact on the air over Kerala. Kerala's atmosphere has gotten out of equilibrium thermodynamically. Dark clouds begin to assemble as a result of this imbalance. This type of weather was once common in the northern Konkan area. Above Mangaluru in the north. But now it is falling because of climate change.

Wayanad's terrain is 51% sloping.
A research conducted by the Geological Survey of India found that 43% of Kerala's total land area is susceptible to landslides. Hill slopes make up 51% of Wayanad's territory and 74% of Idukki's. That implies that landslides are always a possibility. The western section of the Western Ghats is the most sloping part of Kerala, which covers an area of 1848 square kilometers.

the Wayanad, Kozhikode, Mallapuram, Idukki, and Western Ghats  districts of Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. The most landslides occur in these districts. In eight districts of Kerala, there were eighty landslides in 2019. And in just three days, at that. There were 120 fatalities from this. There were 341 significant landslides in eleven districts in 2018.

Is Wayanad uneven all the way around?
a plateau that rises to a height of over 8841 feet, or 2695 meters. The Western Ghats encircle forty percent of Kerala. A very damp forest. where, even with a little rain, landslides are unavoidable. Wayanad is located in the center of this region. Wayanad, which spans 2130 square kilometers, is split geographically into four sections.