Every monsoon, residents of Kalladi in Wayanad look not at the rain, but at the hill above their homes. Two years after the Chooralmala tragedy, Kalladi landslide has reignited questions about whether fragile landscapes, climate change, and development are together creating an increasingly dangerous future.

MEPPADI (WAYANAD, KERALA): Every monsoon begins with a Look Up. When the rain begins, Nishal no longer watches the road outside his house. He watches the hill. A massive mound of excavated soil sits on the slope above his village in Kalladi, a hamlet in Meppadi panchayat in Kerala’s Wayanad district, where work on the Anakkampoyil–Kalladi–Meppadi twin-tunnel project is underway. It has sat there since the earth was excavated for the project, and with every spell of rain, it has become the first thing residents look at.

“People are scared to live here,” Nishal says. “The soil was kept there so it could be used later for construction. But once the monsoon arrives, we don’t feel safe anymore. If it isn’t managed properly, another disaster could happen.”

His fears are rooted in recent memory.

On July 7, 2026, a landslide swept through the tunnel construction site, killing eight workers. Although the disaster was far smaller than the Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslides that devastated Meppadi in July 2024, it reopened a question many thought would have been answered after that tragedy, two years ago: how safe are the hills people continue to live beneath?

The Landslide Changed the Questions

For Roshna, a former Block Panchayat member who lives near the construction site, the latest landslide has made every rainy day uncertain again.

“I am 56 now. If something happens to my house, I cannot build another one,” she says.

She is not opposed to the tunnel project. Few residents say they are. What worries them is whether the landscape has been made more fragile than it already was.

After the landslide, a committee was appointed to study how the excavated soil stored on the hill could be removed safely. Residents say experts have suggested reducing the height of the mound gradually instead of removing it all at once.

“I only want the issue to be handled properly,” Roshna says. “The project should be completed safely.”

More Than Just Heavy Rain

The Kalladi landslide has also drawn attention because it did not unfold under the same conditions as the Chooralmala disaster.

Scientific studies on the 2024 landslides show that Chooralmala was preceded by nearly two weeks of persistent rainfall that progressively saturated the slopes before they failed. That prolonged rainfall was a crucial factor behind the scale of the disaster.

Prof. S. Abhilash, Head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology say the situation at Kalladi was different.

“Landslides are not caused by the rainfall received on a single day,” he says. “What matters is antecedent rainfall. When rain continues over several days, the soil becomes saturated. At that stage, even another 20 or 30 millimetres of rain can trigger a landslide.”

That is why, he says, rainfall alone cannot explain the Kalladi incident. The geology of the slope and the way the landscape has been altered also need to be understood. He argues that replacing native deep-rooted trees with coffee and tea plantations, which have shallower root systems, has made the slopes more vulnerable to landslides.

Why Meppadi Keeps Failing

The hills around Meppadi have always been vulnerable.

The Western Ghats are among the oldest mountain systems in the world. Millions of years of weathering under the southwest monsoon have weakened the rocks beneath Wayanad. Above them lie thick layers of weathered soil. In places such as Meppadi, the terrain is further weakened by steep slopes, fractured rocks, foliated joints and geological lineaments.

“Meppadi has historically remained a landslide-prone area,” says Prof. S. Abhilash. “Not every high-hazard zone experiences repeated landslides, but this landscape has all the conditioning factors that make slope failure more likely.”

The record bears that out. In 2019, a landslide at Puthumala, another settlement within Meppadi panchayat, killed 17 people, five years before Chooralmala. Kalladi is now the third major landslide to strike this one panchayat in seven years. The Geological Survey of India estimates that nearly 19,301 sq. km, or 49.7 per cent of Kerala, falls within landslide-prone terrain, with Wayanad among the districts facing the highest risk — GSI assessments put 51 per cent of Wayanad and 74 per cent of Idukki on mountainous slopes classified as landslide-prone. Kerala recorded 2,239 major landslides between 2015 and 2022, the highest of any state in the country, according to Union government data.

A Changing Monsoon Meets an Old Landscape

The vulnerability of the hills is now intersecting with a changing climate.

Prof. Abhilash says the warming southeastern Arabian Sea is altering the behaviour of rain-bearing clouds over Kerala. Vertically developed cumulonimbus clouds that once discharged much of their moisture over the sea are increasingly moving inland. Over the past decade, northern Kerala has witnessed more frequent episodes of intense rainfall, contributing to flash floods and landslides.

But climate alone does not explain what is happening.

“The trigger may be rain,” he says, “but whether a slope fails depends on the condition of the landscape.”

Where Development Meets Risk

That is where residents believe the conversation should now shift.

Prof. Abhilash says replacing native forests with plantations, cutting roads through hillsides and excavating the base of slopes without adequate stabilisation can all increase landslide risk. In Kerala’s weathered mountains, where thick soil rests on fragile bedrock, even relatively small disturbances can destabilise a slope.

“The tunnel project is not the problem,” he says. “The question is whether the site was geologically suitable.”

He argues that infrastructure in fragile mountain regions should be preceded by detailed geological investigations, slope stability assessments and rigorous environmental impact studies rather than relying on engineering models developed for very different terrains.

Waiting for the Next Rain

After the Kalladi landslide, Dilip Buildcon Ltd — the construction company Konkan Railway Corporation awarded the tunnel project to in June 2025 — announced ₹6 lakh as immediate assistance to the families of its seven employees who died in the incident. The family of a contract worker was offered ₹5 lakh, while the Kerala government announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for each bereaved family.

For Nishal and his neighbours, however, compensation is not what occupies their thoughts.

What they see every day is the mound of earth still overlooking their homes.

It is not simply excavated soil. It is a reminder that, in Meppadi, recovery is measured not only by rebuilding after a landslide, but by whether people can trust the hillside above them again.

Flash floods in Jammu triggered by days of intense monsoon rain have pushed parts of the Union Territory into a humanitarian crisis. Torrential rain unleashed flash floods and landslides across Poonch and Rajouri districts, killing at least 14 people, damaging homes and schools, and cutting off several remote settlements. With the India Meteorological Department forecasting more heavy rainfall over the next two days, authorities fear rescue and relief operations could become increasingly difficult.

Search Continues Amid Difficult Conditions

Rescue operations entered their second day on Monday, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Army, police and civil administration searching for those still missing and assisting residents stranded in flood-hit villages.

However, continuous rain, waterlogged roads and fresh landslides have slowed the operations. In several places, debris, damaged roads and overflowing streams have prevented rescue teams and heavy machinery from reaching affected villages, forcing personnel to proceed cautiously in difficult terrain.

Officials said the death toll could rise as search efforts continue in remote areas that remain inaccessible, while authorities work to restore road connectivity and other essential services disrupted by the heavy rain.

Very Heavy Rainfall Triggers Widespread Damage

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Rajouri recorded 135 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on July 20, placing it in the ‘very heavy rainfall’ category. The weather system has remained active over the region, and the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir until July 22, with isolated spells of extremely heavy rainfall likely in some places.

The weather office has also warned of flash floods, landslides, mudslides and shooting stones in vulnerable areas, particularly across the Jammu division. The continuing rainfall has increased the risk of fresh slope failures, making rescue work more hazardous.

Flash Floods in Jammu: Homes, Schools and Public Infrastructure Affected

The floods have caused extensive damage to homes and public infrastructure. According to the administration’s preliminary assessment, more than 100 houses have been damaged across the affected districts.

The disaster has also disrupted education. Around 24 school buildings have sustained damage, although officials are still assessing the extent of structural loss. Several schools are expected to remain closed until safety inspections are completed.

Road connectivity has also been severely affected. Landslides have blocked key routes, while electricity, drinking water supply and communication services have been disrupted in many villages.

Government Steps Up Response

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level review meeting in Jammu on Sunday to assess the situation. He directed Deputy Commissioners to closely monitor flood- and landslide-prone areas and ensure rescue teams, machinery and emergency services remain ready for immediate deployment.

He also instructed officials to expedite the restoration of roads, electricity, drinking water supply and communication links, while prioritising efforts to trace missing persons and provide relief to affected families.

More Rain Likely Over the Next Two Days

As extreme weather events become more frequent across India, communities are increasingly living with the aftermath of recurring natural disasters. Weather conditions are expected to remain unfavourable. According to the IMD, heavy rainfall is likely to continue over parts of Jammu and Kashmir until July 22. The forecast has prompted authorities to issue fresh advisories asking people living near rivers, streams and landslide-prone slopes to remain alert and avoid unnecessary travel.

The latest disaster is another reminder of the growing challenges posed by extreme rainfall in the Himalayan region. For now, the focus remains on locating the missing, restoring essential services and reaching isolated communities before another spell of heavy rain arrives.

For many people in South India, the day’s heat no longer ends when the sun goes down. Even late at night, bedrooms, and sometimes even the bed itself, remain warm. Ceiling fans only circulate hot air, windows stay open in the hope of a breeze that never arrives, and falling asleep takes longer than it used to. Over time, these restless nights add up to sleep loss. Scientists now say this is more than a seasonal inconvenience. It is one of the quieter ways climate change is beginning to affect everyday life.

An analysis by Climate Central estimates that people across southern India lose between 78 and 91 hours of sleep each year because nights remain too warm. About eight to nine hours of that loss is directly linked to climate change, making southern India one of the worst-affected regions outside the Middle East.

Unlike heatwaves, which make headlines for a few days, sleep loss is harder to notice. It builds slowly. One restless night becomes another, until weeks of poor sleep begin to affect health.

Why South India is Feeling It First

Puducherry records the highest annual sleep loss in the country at 92 hours per person. Andhra Pradesh follows with 88.6 hours, while Kerala is close behind at 88.3 hours. Tamil Nadu records the biggest climate change impact with 7.9 hours of additional sleep loss every year linked to rising temperatures. Karnataka follows at 7.8 hours.

These figures are not surprising when you consider how summers feel across much of South India. Unlike places where temperatures drop sharply after sunset, many parts of the region remain hot and humid well into the night. Humidity makes it harder for sweat to evaporate, which is how the body cools itself. When that cooling process slows down, getting comfortable enough to sleep becomes much harder.

That is why states that are not always the hottest during the day can still have some of the country’s warmest nights.

Cities are Holding on to the Day’s Heat

Roads, buildings and concrete surfaces soak up heat throughout the day. Instead of cooling quickly after sunset, they release that stored heat for hours, keeping neighbourhoods warmer than nearby rural areas.

Among India’s largest metros, Chennai records the highest overall sleep loss at 93 hours a year. Mumbai and Kolkata follow. Bengaluru, however, tells a different story. Known for its mild weather, the city now records the strongest climate change signal among the metros studied, with 12% of its temperature-related sleep loss linked to climate change. Hyderabad is not far behind.

Sleep Needs a Cooler Body

The body naturally lowers its temperature before entering deep sleep.

When nights stay warm, that process takes longer. People may struggle to fall asleep, wake up several times during the night or wake earlier than usual. Even if they spend enough hours in bed, the quality of sleep suffers.

Climate Central’s analysis shows that nighttime temperatures have risen faster than daytime temperatures in many parts of the world. Across the 1,338 cities studied worldwide, climate change has at least doubled temperature-related sleep loss since the early 1970s.

Why Does One Constantly Feel Tired

Older adults, women and low-income communities are among those most affected by warmer nights. Weaker immunity, heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression and reduced concentration have all been linked to this. Staying cool is not an option for everyone

Air conditioning can make a difference, but it remains out of reach for many households. In homes with concrete roofs, poor ventilation or unreliable electricity, indoor temperatures often remain high well after midnight. For families living in these conditions, sleep becomes another inequality shaped by climate.

Heat Plans For Day and Sleep Loss at Night

India’s heat action plans are mostly built around daytime temperatures. They issue warnings about afternoon heat, advise people to stay indoors and encourage hydration.

But the night receives far less attention. Yet it is during those cooler hours that the body is supposed to recover from the day’s heat. As nights become warmer, that recovery is becoming more difficult. Cooler buildings, more trees, better-designed neighbourhoods and affordable access to cooling will all matter if cities are to remain livable.

For millions across South India, climate change is no longer measured only by the afternoon temperature. It is measured by how often they wake up in the middle of the night, waiting for the room to cool down.