The gravity of landslides

Life after a landslide

While those staying in vulnerable areas are at risk and await relocation, those who have already faced disaster face several challenges.

Geetha Mishra, an advocate who filed a PIL in the High Court of Karnataka, requesting fair compensation and rehabilitation for victims of the Kodagu landslides, says locals and labourers are among the most affected victims.

The High Court dismissed the PIL on the grounds that the applicant had no locus standi in the case as she was not from Kodagu.

Overall there is government apathy in rehabilitating landslide-affected persons and they continue to remain voiceless in society,” she says.

Among those awaiting compensation is Ganesh Madhugundi, a resident of Madhugundi in Chikkamagaluru. Until August 9, 2019,  Madhugundi was a happy farmer, cultivating coffee, arecanut and cardamom in his fertile land. Today, Ganesh drives an autorickshaw, barely able to support his family of four.

“I lost everything in one day. My house was washed away and my farm is filled with tonnes of soil and boulders, rendering it useless for cultivation. The area itself is not suitable for habitation now,” says Ganesh.

Like the 43 families (15 families in Channadalu, 11 in Mudigere, and 17 in Guddethota) in Chikkamagaluru district, he feels successive governments and district administration have failed to compensate them.

“Elected representatives assured us Rs 5,000 rent for 10 months (till an alternative housing was built) and shifted us to rented houses. They also paid Rs one lakh to construct a new house. But after five months, the rent stopped coming and no land was allotted for relocation and construction of a new house. We did not even get alternative farmland,” says Raju Malemane, another victim.

In Kalache, Gayathri Ananth Goankar’s family did not receive any of the promised compensation amount from the government. “Just after the tragedy, then chief minister, MP, MLAs, leader of the opposition and officials met us with assuring words. But they then turned their backs and did not return. We are now forced to stay in our damaged homes as we cannot afford to pay rent to stay in the nearby town,” she says.

Every monsoon, they get a notice from the taluk administration asking them to shift to the relief centre. However, when DH visited the Kalache government primary school, which was supposed to be the relief centre, no facilities were provided by the administration.

Sources in the Uttara Kannada district administration say finding suitable land for cultivation for all victims is a challenge as 70% of the district is covered with forest.

Of the 34 families, 20 have relocated themselves to Yellapur and other cities. A few regularly visit Kalache to tend to their parcels of cultivable land.

Even victims of landslides in Subramanya and Gurupura in Dakshina Kannada face this challenge.

For the last four years, eight families near the temple town of Subramanya have shifted to relief centres during monsoon as their villages sit at the base of a hill, identified as landslide-prone. The residents have been demanding permanent rehabilitation. Yet their demand for alternative agricultural land and shelter to live dignified lives has fallen on deaf ears.

Puttur Assistant Commissioner Jubin Mohapatra says the administration has identified land for rehabilitation. “A joint survey by the revenue and forest department officials was conducted a month ago. As soon as we get land clearance from the Forest Department, we will hand it over to the gram panchayat to be distributed to landslide victims. We are hopeful of relocating the families by at least next rainy season,” he says.

Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority Commissioner Sivakumar K B says the government is trying to mitigate the usage of landslide-vulnerable spots in the state. “GSI and other agencies have surveyed landslide-vulnerable areas. They have suggested mitigation measures to prevent landslides. We will take the necessary steps in this regard,” he says.

Sivakumar also claims that all the victims of landslides, irrespective of whether it is a human loss or property damage, have received compensation as per the then government’s orders. “I will check with my department if there are any unsettled claims and clear it at the earliest,” he says.

When asked about the ad hoc method being used for the rescue and rehabilitation process, the commissioner says the state is upgrading technology-based rescue operations including the use of radars and sonars and if needed, additional human resources.

However, according to a retired senior revenue department officer, Karnataka’s focus is more on immediate relief rather than resettlement. “They lack macro policies when it comes to landslides as incidents of landslides have been increasing in recent decades,” he says.

The officer adds that rehabilitation requires coordination between multiple departments and agencies including the local gram panchayats, urban planning department, PWD, housing, finance, district administration and others, and negligence by even one officer hampers the rehabilitation process.