Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has stressed the need for on-ground sensors to better predict landslides in Kerala, following devastating landslides that claimed at least 167 lives. Tharoor highlighted the limitations of relying solely on remote sensing technology for such predictions.
“Landslides are very difficult to predict… The fundamental reality is that Kerala is ecologically very fragile. In the last few years, we have faced major challenges, including climate change. The challenge is how to predict these events so that people can be evacuated before the worst happens,” said Tharoor, the Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram seat, in an interview with NDTV.
Tharoor pointed out the inadequacy of current methods, stating, “We rely heavily on remote sensing…but experts are saying this is not enough. We need sensor grids on the ground to be able to anticipate landslides. We don’t have that…we don’t have an on-ground sensor grid. We need more real-time data gathering.”
On Wednesday, a political spat erupted after Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed the state had been warned in advance, leading to a counter from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Tharoor urged that politics be kept separate from humanitarian crises.
“I don’t think that a blame game is where we should be going when lives are at stake and we are trying to rescue people. The forecast for the landslide-hit areas in Wayanad was 62 mm of rain, but they received 322 mm…now what do you do when it rains so much?” Tharoor questioned.
Tharoor also shared his concern about the scale of the disaster, saying, “I am hearing of over 200 deaths and 500 houses destroyed… and perhaps a couple more hundred people trapped under the debris. So it is really a very sad day.”
As Kerala grapples with the aftermath of the landslides, Tharoor’s call for improved prediction methods underscores the urgent need for better disaster preparedness to protect vulnerable communities in the state.
