Paradise no longer.

"In the early hours of 30 July 2024, multiple landslides occurred at Punchiri Mattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, Meppadi and Kunhome villages of Wayanad district, Kerala, India. Heavy rains triggered the collapse of hillsides, resulting in torrents of mud, water, and boulders cascading down into the area." wikipedia. "Despite a challenging five-day search operation by various forces, over 200 people remain untraced," and "The death toll touched 357, with 18 more bodies recovered on Saturday, including 16 from the Chaliyar River." ONmanorama. In a tragic irony, Wayanad is described as a "green paradise". "It sprawls over an area of 2132 sq km and has all the fascinating views that the Western Ghats offer." "The hills, might have been forest areas once, but with the advent of modern civilisation, the low hills have been converted to plantations of coffee, tea, pepper, cardamom and other spices." Kerala Tourism. Human activity led to the tragedy. But, animals saved some humans. Sujatha Aninachira and some members of her family managed to reach the safety of a hilltop but found themselves next to wild elephants, a tusker and two females. "In an astonishing turn of events, the elephants approached and stood silently by the family, providing a sense of comfort during the terrifying night. Sujatha noted that tears appeared to roll down the tusker's face as they waited for help to arrive." BT. Quick to make political gains out of people's misery, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that "the Kerala government was given an 'early warning' on July 23 and again on July 24, a week before the devastating landslides," and that "nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were sent to Kerala in advance but alleged negligence on part of the Pinayari government for failing to evacuate people on time." BS. These claims have been denied by the Kerala government and the Congress has filed a motion of privilege against Mr Shah for misleading the Rajya Sabha. TOI. With contemptible insensitivity, "Ex-BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja...sparked a row as he linked the Wayanad landslides to cow slaughter practices in Kerala." TOI. In eleven states and two union territories there is a complete ban on slaughter of cattle, eight states and four union territories allow slaughter of bulls, bullocks and buffaloes and in eight states and one union territory there is no ban at all. BBC. In 2013, 5,700 people were 'presumed dead' in the northern state of Uttarakhand which included the holy pilgrimage site of Kedarnath. wikipedia. The causes are always the same - indiscriminate infrastructure development or uncontrolled, often illegal, construction of homes and hotels. "Governments often blame nature's fury for the disasters and cover up their misgovernance by turning a blind eye towards the flouting of norms of sustainable development." "All disasters cannot, and should not, be attributed to the 'impacts of extreme weather events triggered by climate change or global warming'." DH. Waging war against nature. A paradise destroyed.