Illegal mining, constructions led to Wayanad tragedy: Environment minister

Illegal mining, uncontrolled construction and unregulated commercial activity aggravated the disaster in Wayanad, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said on Monday, as he blamed the state government for ignoring key aspects of the region before granting approvals for such projects. The environment ministry clarified that the Centre did not grant environmental clearances for any developmental activities in Wayanad, except an in-principle nod for a Tube Unidirectional Tunnel Road (2+2 Lane) with Four Lane Approach (from existing roads) last year. The tunnel was envisioned to provide direct connectivity between Aanakampoyil Kalladi-Meppadi in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts of Kerala. The construction for the project, however, is yet to start. “When such projects are approved, it is important to understand what is the soil topography, geomorphology, what is the slope angle and vegetation in the region. In the past 10 years, the state government did not pay attention to these matters. That is why when a huge rain event happened, we saw a massive disaster of this scale,” Yadav said. Senior officials at the environment ministry pointed out that in the last three years, Kerala granted environmental clearance for three quarries, two of which are for granite stone in Wayanad district. Two landslides hit Wayanad district in the early hours of July 30 after two to three days of continuous rainfall in central and northern parts of Kerala. So far, at least 221 people have died in the district, with scores missing. The BJP leader’s comments came days after Union home minister Amit Shah said that the Centre issued an early warning to the state government about the heavy rainfall and landslide threat on July 23. The Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government has rejected Shah’s claims.