Lives interrupted

T comes like a sudden bang on your head. The tremors shake you to your core, like the world is crumbling around you. Everything is falling apart," says Pushkala L, who counts the daily blasts from the nearby quarry.

- VARSHA SOMARAJ

A few days ago, she recorded 12 explosions, just after the Department of Geology had inspected the condition of the quarry.

"It was quiet when the officials visited. Once they left, the blasting resumed. There are no fixed timings for the explosions. Sometimes it begins in the early morning, other times midday or even late at night," she adds.

Her daughter-in-law is four months pregnant, and is suffering from the loud noises.

Mini Sugathan says that her daughter was asleep when a portion of the roof plate fell on her. Homes are not safe anymore, she says.

This isn't an isolated incident. The long stretches of Pullampara and Mukkudil wards near Venjaramoodu of Vamanapuram constituency have been bearing the brunt of the quarry's operations for the past 33 years.

In March 2023, Pullampara panchayat standing committee chairman Sreekandan warned the District Collector about the quarry's potential to trigger landslides. Though the complaint was forwarded to the Nedumangad Tehsildar, no action was taken. Six months later, disaster struck.

On October 15, 2023, a landslide in the middle of the night behind the quarry came down onto the homes on the hillside, destroying two. The timely intervention by neighbours saved seven lives, including four children.