The unfolding tragedy in the landslides-hit Wayanad, with over 300 people dead and several still missing, is a manmade disaster. Nature’s fury comes as a grim reminder of how climate change, induced by human tinkering with an already fragile ecology and unbridled constructions in the name of development, can lead to disastrous consequences. Massive landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala’s Wayanad district, triggered by torrential rains, buried large areas under debris, leaving a trail of death and destruction behind. Kerala is located in a fragile ecological zone of the Western Ghats and is endowed with natural splendour. However, successive governments have allowed reckless construction of properties by destroying forests in the name of promoting tourism. Despite repeated warnings from environmentalists, they continued construction.
The result is the Wayanad tragedy. What happened in Wayanad is a lesson for Arunachal too. Here too, in the name of development, the government is allowing massive construction activities. The cutting of hills for constructing houses, roads, and massive hydropower projects poses massive risks. Environmentalists have issued repeated warnings that Arunachal will face a huge disaster in the future. It is time we learnt from a tragedy like the one that hit Wayanad. The state government should nurture the biodiversity of the region and stop tinkering with its fragile ecology by allowing reckless constructions in the name of development.