India, July 29 -- Eye-catching landscapes, once lush and vibrant, reduced to rubble and mud - such sights were unfamiliar in Kerala before the 2018 floods. Wayanad, the northern district and a sought-after tourist destination, continues to bear the brunt of natural disasters since then.

The latest was the landslide in Kalladi at the Meppadi panchayat, located at the Wayanad twin-tunnel project construction site. Eight people lost their lives in the landslide that occurred on July 7.

The landslide opened the door to a new debate on developmental projects in ecologically fragile regions. The important question being whether the disaster could have been avoided.

"The Western Ghats, that starts from the river Thapthi to Kanyakumari in Tami...