People’s Foundation, an NGO based in Kozhikode, has created a geo-map of areas affected by the Chooralmala landslides, providing a vital tool for the government and other agencies to execute projects for survivors.
The map, prepared by a seven-member team led by Dr. S. Mohammed Irshad, Assistant Professor, Department of Disaster Management, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, uses satellite survey data to provide detailed information on each house at Puchirimattom, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala before the catastrophe.
With a single click, the map reveals the total extent of the area devastated, houses, shops, and establishments destroyed fully and partially, members in each household, their present status, and the number of missing members in each family.
According to V.M. Nishad, project director, People’s Foundation, the team conducted a comprehensive 15-day study in the area, meeting 339 survivors in Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Attamala regions and collecting their experiences of the landslides.
The study found that the average diameter of the Punnapuzha rivulet, a tributary of the Chaliyar, increased from 100 feet to nearly 200 feet after the landslides. The team observed significant deposition of mass in the post-landslide stream, indicating a high risk of further erosion.
The study revealed that 288 houses, including 90 at Mundakkai, 138 at Chooralmala, and 60 at Attamala, were fully destroyed, leaving 154 houses in the vulnerable zone. Additionally, 11 estate lanes were destroyed, affecting 36 families. As many as 56 shops, two masjids, and a temple were wiped out.
The landslides also resulted in the destruction of six bridges, 4.3 km of roads, two schools, an anganwadi, a post office, a ration shop, and a village office.
The geo-map would serve as a vital tool for the government and agencies to identify the affected families and execute various projects, including housing and rehabilitation initiatives, Dr. Nishad said.
