The mudslide at Kalladi in Kerala’s Wayanad district, which killed three people and left five others missing on Tuesday has renewed scrutiny of the controversial Wayanad twin tunnel project, with environmentalists demanding that the state government halt the work and order independent geological, hydrological and social impact studies before proceeding further.A bus stuck in debris after a landslide at Kalladi, near Meppadi tunnel project in Wayanad, Kerala. (PTI)The disaster occurred near the site of the twin tunnel road project connecting Meppadi in Wayanad district and Anakkampoyil in Kozhikode district. A video clip showed the mound of mud, which had accumulated near Meenakshi Bridge, suddenly collapsing in the rain, bringing down trees, sweeping away more than half a dozen vehicles, and crushing several temporary labour camps, a nearby house and a church. Follow weather LIVE blogThe deceased, all labourers engaged in the tunnel construction work, were identified as Anmol Gorai from Jharkhand, Vikas Kumar Singh from Bihar and Chandrabhan Pal from Madhya Pradesh, officials aware of the matter said.Also Read: Rain lashes parts of Delhi-NCR, red alert issued for capital'Unfortunate tragedy’: CM Satheesan CM VD Satheesan said the landslide occurred after a huge quantity of debris accumulated during excavation work slid downhill amid heavy monsoon rain.“The district collector and the disaster management authority had asked them (project contractors) to remove the debris through an order on June 20. But the contractors failed to remove the debris. There has been heavy rain in the region, which has affected the ongoing rescue operations. It’s an unfortunate tragedy,” Satheesan told reporters.The CM also pointed to lapses on the part of the contractors. “All safety protocols must be adhered to while implementing projects like these. The disaster here points to inaction on the part of the project contractors,” he said.Also Read: Missing Link found and lost in 48 hours of heavy rainfallAgriculture minister T Siddique described the incident as result of “unscientific dumping of debris”.Environmental activists argue against projectThe incident has strengthened calls from environmental activists who have long opposed the tunnel project, arguing that it involves drilling through one of the most fragile stretches of the Western Ghats and passing through at least 14 hotspots in an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ).“The mudslip is a warning signal for the tunnel project and for such development activities in Wayanad. The project was given green signal without conducting proper, reliable geological and hydrological studies. This is a region where the phenomenon of soil piping, which can trigger landslides in the monsoon, has been observed,” said writer and activist CR Neelakandan.“Therefore, the state government must order such studies by expert, independent agencies before restarting the tunnel work,” he said. The project involves the construction of an 8.11-km twin-tube tunnel between Meppadi and Anakkampoyil. Conceived in 2020, it is aimed at providing an alternative all-weather route to Wayanad and reducing traffic pressure on the heavily congested Thamarassery Ghat road, which is also prone to landslides during the monsoon.According to environmental groups, tunnelling through the fragile hills of the Western Ghats could loosen soil, destabilise slopes, increase the risk of landslides and affect wildlife movement, particularly that of elephants. Environmental observer Sridhar Radhakrishnan described the project as “not a symbol of progress, but a potential engineered catastrophe”.Also Read: Skewed July rainfall trims the monsoon deficit | Number Theory“The state government must urgently revoke the recommendation of the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) and environmental clearance given by State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). It must ask an independent expert committee to conduct a comprehensive environmental-social impact study. The approval of the SEIAA was not based on scientific evidence. It was politically motivated. It overlooked critical past studies and warnings to grant approval for the project,” he said.Dilip Buildcon Limited, which was awarded the tunnel contract, said it was extending its “full cooperation” to the district administration in relief operations and the investigation. The company said the project was being executed “in compliance with all engineering, safety and environmental approvals and protocols”.