Tackling a deluge. Wayanad 2020 The report illustrates how District Administration and DDMA , Wayanad studied, analyzed the disasters and designed solutions to save lives un- der the leadership of Dr. Adeela Abdulla I A S, Chairperson of DDMA. Page 1 of 13 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 Table of Contents Sl no Content Page no 1 Abstract 3 2 Wayanad at a glance 4 3 Brief Disaster Profile 5 4 General aspect of the District 6 5 Initiatives at a glance 7 6 Dam Management 8 7 Rain gauge data collection 9 8 Debris removal 11 9 Sustainability 12 10 Conclusion 13 DEOC WAYANAD 2021 2 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 Abstract: The disasters are not a new phenomenon for Wayanad anymore. The deluge, landslide, land subsidence or any other monsoon related mayhem is usual in Wayanad during the South West monsoon which usually commence from the first week of June. The heavy rainfall makes the situation tougher and danger- ous in most of the parts of the District. The DDMA has been taking up various Disaster mitigation measures to safeguard the General Public from any even- tuality after close observation of past incidents. The learning and assessment from the past disasters helped the Administration to take proactive measures to reduce the impact of the natural disaster. This report is an attempt to bring all the novel initiatives before the public. In the ensuing years this will help the District Administration to replicate the activities in the eve of disasters and catastrophes of various natures. DEOC WAYANAD 2021 3 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 Wayanad at a glance Wayanad District is situated in an elevated picturesque mountainous plateau in Western Ghats. It lies between north latitude 11 degree 26’28’’ and 11 degree 48’22’’ and east longitude 75degree 46’38’’ and 76 degree 26’11’’. The District came into being on November 1, 1980 as the 12th district of Kerala. Comprising an area of 2,132 sq. kilometers, Wayanad has a cherished history and it is be- lieved that organized human life existed in these parts at least ten centuries be- fore Christian era. Countless evidences about New Stone Age civilization was seen on the hills of Wayanad. The heritage carvings on the Edackal Caves at Ambukuthi are the vis- ible embodiment of the rich history of District. It is believed that in ancient times, this land was ruled by the Rajas of the Veda dynasty. Later, Wayanad came un- der the rule of the Pazhassi Raja of Kottayam Royal Dynasty. In 19th century, Wayanad fell into the hands of British and it paved a new turn in the history of the area. Roads were laid across the dangerous slopes of Wayanad from Kozhi- kode and Thalasseri extending to the cities of Mysore and Ooty. Through these roads’ settlers from all parts of Kerala poured into the virgin forest lands of Wayanad and the region proved to be a veritable goldmine with incredible yields of cash crops. When the State of Kerala came into being in November 1956, Wayanad was part of Kannur district. Later, south Wayanad was added to Kozhikode district and North Wayand to Kannur district. In order to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Wayanad, north Wayanad and South Wayanad were carved out and joined together to form the present district of Wayanad on 1st November 1980. DEOC WAYANAD 2021 4 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 Brief Disaster profile Wayanad is a centre of attraction and gem among the hill tourism destinations of southern India because of the fabulous weather and natural attractions. The Western Ghat offers a wide variety of tourism attractions to a visitor and it is considered as an all-season destination for many. However, the District also has many disaster-prone areas especially the hills, and the river sides. The hills are situated at a maximum of 2100 Meter from MSL in the entire stretch of South -West -North wayanad. The deluge in 2018 and 2019 became an eye opener and several preventive and mitigation mechanisms were put in place to deal the situation effectively in future. The waterfalls from the hills which were eye pleasing becomes an avalanche of flood water on the next day, which was furious enough to wipe out everything in its way, when the scenario changes. The flood in 2018 took away four precious lives, and thousands of people became homeless, lost livelihood, left them stranded and broken. The rain hit as hard as it could and the rivers and streams were insufficient to contain the water due to blockages and unscientific constructions. The Government have introduced relocation and rehabilitation package for the vulnerable community in order to build their lives back to normal. When the process is progressing, as predicted, harsh rain brought in havoc and killed 17 people and five of them are still remain unfound there. The box below gives a glimpse of the situation from 2018 to 2020 Year Rainfall (June to No of death No of Camps Inmates August) 2018 2956.9 mm 4 272 32506 2019 1967.7 mm 20 196 29109 2020 1615.5 mm 3 83 4309 DEOC WAYANAD 2021 5 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 General aspect of the District The months of south west monsoon is a nightmare for the people in Wayanad irrespective of whether they live in river side or in a hilly region. The major hills of Wayanad lies in the Southern tip through western side until Northern parts and it is a treasure house of important flora and fauna. The hills are always getting huge quantity of rainfall compare to the plains and causes lot of disruption in the soil. Thereby, landslide, land subsidence or land slip would occur in the areas where huge quantity of rain accumulated. Moreover, this heavy water would create flood in the plains of Wayanad too. About 40000 people were shifted to 280 temporary shelters during the great deluge of 2018. The rainfall pattern was similar in the year 2019 as well as and had landslides in the slops which killed about 20 people in total. The District Administration decided to look into the areas where disaster impact could be reduced. A thorough analysis has shown that, the impact of the floods will be minimal if the people have been relocated in advance. This should be done in effective manner. The geographical peculiarities of Wayanad are critical in flood and other disasters. Especially, the water accumulated in the hills flows down streams with huge velocity causing flood situation in the plains. Also, the Beechanhalli Dams gate opening will be crucial in case of the heavy rainfall reported in Wayanad. The Beechanhalli Dam serves irrigation needs of Southern Karntaka and it is critical for them to store the water for the summer. The rains in Wayanad bring all the water to Beechanhalli dam through Kabani River, by Mananthavady, Panamaram rivers. The drainage of the water through the rivers of Wayanad is depends on the storage of Beechanhalli Dam and it has to be clear the water from Wayand to avert flooding the areas near to the rivers. It is also important to release the water in advance to accept the monsoon rain water as the storage in Banasura Sagar Dam at Padinjarathara. In case, the Dam at FRL at the time of heavy rain, there would be chance of flooding the downstream while the shutters get open. DEOC WAYANAD 2021 6 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 Initiatives at a glance. 1- Rule curve mechanism and strict monitoring of Dams in Wayanad 2- Joint meeting with Mysuru District Administration in connection with the Beechanhalli dam opening in the scenario of heavy rain in Wayanad. 3- Local Level rain fall data assessment through community involvement 4- Debris removal from the rivers and streams of Wayanad 5- Advance evacuation/intimation to the vulnerable population DEOC WAYANAD 2021 7 REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION & DDMA in 2019 and 2020 No. 1. Rule curve mechanism and strict monitoring of Dams in Wayanad a) We have implemented a stringent system to monitor the effective implementation of Rule Curve system and release mechanism of water in Banasura Sagar Dam. The gate opening schedule of the dam is based on the ‘rule curve’ and It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam. The FRL & MWL of the Dam is at : 775.60m and in order to maintain a safe limit the Water Level will be maintained as somewhere 757 m so that the excess water can be stored without stress. b) There are two dams in Wayanad ie Banasura Sagar and Karapuzha dam. Bansura Sagar Dam is used for Hydro Electricity generation purpose and Karapauzaha reservoir has envisaged for irrigation and drinking water project. No 2. Joint meetings with Mysuru District Administration. a) The data sharing and communication with Beechanhalli Dam authorities and Mysuru District Administration helped a lot in terms of releasing adequate water from the Beechanhalli dam so that the heavy water flow from wayand will be managed and stored. The entire Panamram, Mananthavady, Pulapply Kalpetta stretches will be relieved a lot by the decision of our counterparts in Karnataka. b) The Banasura Sagar Dam authorities have started sharing the rainfall and other details like river water level at various places with the Beechanhalli Dam authorities for better understanding of the scenario. c) The District Collector and Engineers of the District visited Beechanhalli Dam and had discussions based on the data and facts.