WAYANAD, KERALA — A groundbreaking proposal has been submitted to the Kerala government to designate the site of the 2024 Wayanad landslide the largest recorded in India’s history as the country first landslide geoheritage site.
The initiative seeks to transform the disaster zone, where over 400 lives were lost, into a “living laboratory” for research, education, and geotourism, while also serving as a solemn memorial. If approved, Wayanad would become a model for blending disaster memory with conservation, following international examples like Italy’s Vajont landslide memorial.
The proposed geoheritage zone is located in the ‘no-go’ areas of Meppadi panchayat, running along the Punnapuzha river. Researchers argue that the scarred landscape strewn with buried homes, crushed vehicles, and massive dislodged boulders offers “invaluable clues to understanding landslide dynamics” and constitutes a “natural laboratory” due to its scale and geological complexity.
Dr. K S Sajinkumar, Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Kerala and lead author of the study, emphasized the urgency, saying, “We need to retain the landslide area as it is. Future technologies may help unravel the unknown factors behind the slide. If left unattended, the lessons will be lost.”
Beyond its academic value, the site holds potential for sustainable geotourism development in line with the Unesco Global Geopark Network, linking nearby attractions such as Banasura Sagar Dam and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
The formal proposal, developed by a consortium of nine national and international scientific institutions, is scheduled to be presented to Chief Secretary A Jayathilak next week. The study was published in the August edition of the peer-reviewed journal Geoheritage.