Landslip in Idukki kills cardamom farmer
Almost eight acres of cardamom plantation destroyed in the incident at Kadamakkuzhi, near Kattappana. Preliminary findings point to large-scale quarrying and mining on the hill’s opposite side, using explosives, as the likely trigger.
The landslip that occurred at Kadamakkuzhi, near Kattappana, in Idukki on Saturday.
A 59-year-old cardamom farmer was killed in a major landslip at Kadamakkuzhi, near Kattappana, in Idukki, on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Purayidathil Benny (Sebastian P.J.), a resident of Vallakkadavu in Idukki.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 9 a.m. on Saturday, while Benny and his wife were working in their cardamom plantation. A landslip on the hill caused debris to crash onto the plantation, trapping the farmer between a water tank and a large boulder.
His body was recovered after a strenuous rescue effort, while his wife escaped unhurt. The body has been shifted for a post-mortem examination. Other workers in the near by plantations also narrowly escaped the incident.
A local resident said a huge sound was heard from the hill, and they found the actual scene upon reaching the spot. “Nearly 20 people working on a nearby cardamom farm narrowly escaped the landslip,” he said.
Following directives from Idukki District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt, a team led by Deputy Collector Binu Joseph inspected the site. “There has been no rainfall in the area for the past two weeks, yet a landslipstretching nearly two kmoccurred at the top of the hill. Due to the impact of the major landslip, almost eight acres of cardamom plantation were completely destroyed,” said Mr. Joseph.
“To determine the actual cause of a landslip in the absence of triggering rainfall, our team trekked for over three hours. We discovered that large-scale quarrying is taking place on the opposite side of the hill. Vast tracts of cardamom plantations were cleared to make way for continuous mining, which is being carried out with the heavy use of explosives. We suspect that this large-scale mining triggered the landslip,” the official added.
The official further noted that a detailed report regarding the landslip will be submitted to the Idukki District Collector on Monday (November 16). According to officials, the site where the mining is taking place falls under the Vandanmedu police station limits.
- cardamom
- landslip
- idukki
- farmer
- acre
- plantation
- incident
- kadamakkuzhi
