Devastating Landslides in Kerala Triggered by Intense Rainfall
A sudden and heavy downpour on July 30 unleashed a series of landslides that tragically buried hundreds of individuals in the mountainous region of Kerala, located in southern India. This torrential rain, which was recorded at nearly six inches (approximately 150 millimeters), was exacerbated by human-induced climate change, making it 10 percent more intense, according to a study conducted by World Weather Attribution. This study aims to assess the impact of climate change on extreme weather events.
The rainfall came after two months of monsoon season, which had already saturated the soils, leading to what became the third highest single-day rain event recorded in India. Maja Vahlberg, a climate risk consultant at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, expressed grave concern regarding the situation: “The devastation in northern Kerala is alarming not only due to the immediate humanitarian crisis faced by thousands but also because this disaster unfolded in a world that is continually warming.” She further noted that the increase in rainfall driven by climate change could significantly heighten the risk of future landslides.
Within a state that is particularly susceptible to landslides, Wayanad district stands out as the most hazardous area. As of the most recent reports, at least 231 individuals have lost their lives, with an additional 100 reported missing.
The landslides in Kerala are part of a broader pattern of extreme weather events, marking the second significant landslide occurrence in July alone, following a deadly incident in Ethiopia that resulted in the deaths of 257 people. July 2023 has been recorded as the second-worst month for landslides in history, only surpassed by July 2019, with a total of 95 landslide events leading to 1,167 fatalities, based on data accumulated by Dave Petley, the vice-chancellor of the University of Hull. Collectively, these incidents accounted for nearly one-third of the over 3,600 deaths linked to approximately 429 fatal landslides reported this year.
Dr. Petley highlighted that already, 2024 is proving to be an outlier in terms of landslide occurrences. In his recent post on The Landslide Blog, he stated, “I can only speculate on the likely underlying reasons for this exceptionally high incidence of fatal landslides,” adding that “the most likely cause remains the extraordinarily high global surface temperatures and the consequent increase in high-intensity rainfall events.”
