Devastating Landslides in Kerala: Climate Change Impacts and Humanitarian Crisis

Tragic Landslides in Kerala: A Consequence of Climate Change

A sudden and intense downpour on July 30 unleashed a series of devastating landslides that buried hundreds of individuals in the mountainous region of Kerala, located in southern India. This torrential rainfall was not just an unfortunate weather event; it was exacerbated by human-induced climate change, with a recent study from World Weather Attribution revealing that the rainfall was 10 percent heavier due to climate change factors. Approximately six inches (or 150 millimeters) of rain fell on already saturated soils, a result of two months of incessant monsoon rains, marking it as the third highest single-day rainfall event recorded in India.

“The devastation in northern Kerala is alarming, not only because of the immediate humanitarian crisis affecting thousands, but also due to the fact that this tragedy unfolded in a world that is continuously warming,” stated Maja Vahlberg, a climate risk consultant at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. She emphasized that the increase in rainfall driven by climate change is likely to escalate the frequency of landslides in the future.

Within a state that is particularly vulnerable to landslides, the Wayanad district stands out as the most hazardous area. As of the latest reports, at least 231 individuals have lost their lives, with another 100 still unaccounted for.

The catastrophic landslides in Kerala were the second extreme landslide incident of July, following a tragic event in Ethiopia that resulted in the deaths of 257 people. The month of July has now been recorded as the second deadliest month for landslides, only surpassed by July 2019, with a total of 95 landslide events leading to 1,167 fatalities, according to data compiled by Dr. Dave Petley, the vice-chancellor of the University of Hull. Collectively, these events accounted for nearly one-third of the more than 3,600 deaths from approximately 429 fatal landslides documented this year, Dr. Petley noted in an email update.

As we look ahead, 2024 is already being viewed as an anomaly in terms of landslide occurrences. Dr. Petley shared insights on his blog, stating, “I can only speculate on the likely underlying reasons for this very high incidence of fatal landslides,” but he asserts that “the most plausible explanation continues to be the exceptionally high global surface temperatures, along with the consequent increase in extreme rainfall events.”