India
oi-Ashish Rana
A landslide near the Meenakshi area in Wayanad has put the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel road project under sharp scrutiny, after official records showed that authorities had warned of slope-related risks before the accident. The Public Works Department had flagged the danger from soil dumped at the construction site and called for preventive steps ahead of the monsoon.
A Wayanad landslide near the Meenakshi area, linked to the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel project, occurred after authorities warned of slope risks from unscientifically stored excavated soil before the monsoon. Despite directives from the PWD and District Collector to remove the unstable soil, warnings were reportedly ignored, leading to the disaster and claiming at least three lives.
The warning has become central to the emerging accountability questions around the disaster at Kalladi, near Meenakshi bridge. At least three people, all migrant workers, have died in the landslide, according to reports. There is still no clear confirmation on how many people may be trapped under the debris. A house and a mosque in the area were also destroyed.
Warning issued before Wayanad tunnel landslide
Minutes of a review meeting held on June 25 show that the Public Works Department had cautioned against the way excavated soil was stored at the project site. The department said soil had been piled up unscientifically in the area where tunnelling work was under way, creating the possibility of soil piping or slope stability failure during rain.
The department’s note had asked that necessary precautions be taken to avoid an accident. It specifically referred to the risk from accumulated soil at the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel project site. The disclosure has strengthened the argument that the incident was not merely a natural event triggered by rain, but a preventable failure linked to construction-site management.
District authorities had also intervened before the accident. Wayanad District Collector Meghashree had written on June 20 that work on the twin tunnel project near the Meenakshi area should be temporarily stopped until soil accumulated after tunnelling was removed from the location. The order is now being examined against the events that followed.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the contractors had been told in advance by the Public Works Department Minister P K Basheer and the district administration to remove the large quantity of mud kept at the site. He said the disaster management authority had inspected the area and issued directions for clearing the unstable soil.
“The soil there is mixed with mud and has got a different texture. The scrap soil was kept there and that was not stable. The disaster management authority had examined the area and told the contractors to remove it. Failure to remove soil from the place caused this mishap,” Satheesan told reporters.
Why the dumped soil is under investigation
The central issue is not the tunnel alone, but the management of excavated material during construction. Large tunnel projects generate vast quantities of muck, which must be stored, compacted, drained or removed safely. In hilly terrain, especially during heavy rain, loose soil heaps can saturate quickly and lose stability.
Officials had pointed to two possible risk factors: soil piping and slope instability. Soil piping occurs when water seeps through loose or vulnerable soil, gradually creating underground channels. This can weaken the ground from within. Slope instability happens when soil or rock masses lose strength and slide downhill, often after intense rain or poor drainage.
Minister T Siddique said warnings had indicated that even moderate rain could trigger danger in the area. He said there appeared to have been a failure in taking required action despite prior instructions. The government would examine why directions were not followed, he added, calling the situation serious.
The Chief Minister also rejected the suggestion that the absence of a stronger weather alert was the main cause. He said the area had received heavy rain and a yellow alert was in place. However, the accumulated unstable soil, rather than the alert level, was the immediate factor identified by authorities.
The tunnel project and its wider significance
The Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel is one of Kerala’s most closely watched infrastructure projects. It is designed to connect Anakkampoyil in Kozhikode district with Meppadi in Wayanad, reducing travel time between the two regions. The tunnel length is estimated at 8.2 km, making it one of the longest road tunnel projects in India.
The project is estimated to cost around Rs 2,400 crore. Konkan Railway Corporation is the implementing agency. Construction of the tube tunnels has been awarded to Bhopal-based Dilip Buildcon, while approach roads and bridges are being handled by Kolkata-based Royal Construct. The project is expected to take about four years to complete.
The tunnel had already faced environmental scrutiny before construction advanced. In April, the Supreme Court cleared the project after dismissing petitions filed by environmentalists who argued that it could affect the ecological balance of the Western Ghats. The project had earlier received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The court upheld the ministry’s clearance, but left room for legal challenges if environmental norms were violated during construction. That condition has become more relevant after the Wayanad landslide, as questions now focus on whether safeguards required during construction were properly enforced at the site.
For Wayanad, the tragedy has reopened a difficult debate between development needs and construction safety in fragile hill districts. The immediate priority remains rescue and relief work at the landslide site. The official records now available, however, show that the risk had been identified before the accident, making compliance and accountability the key questions ahead.
