After the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, reaching the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology would take two hours and thirty minutes. Everyone tried their best to get some sleep during the car ride. I was not able to sleep, but instead, I was able to say goodbye to the scenery along the way. When we arrived, I took in all of the children around us. Children aged seven or eight, fifteen, and one just-turned eighteen were sitting and eating throughout the building. Coincidently, every time we entered the Hume Centre from where we were staying down the road, it was the children's lunch or snack break. We were immediately welcomed. We began with a series of presentations on some of their conservation efforts and initiatives.
One presentation discussed the effects of climate change, one of those changes being extreme rainfall throughout Wayanad. In 2018 and 2019, landslides resulted from this increase in rainfall. Lives were lost, and communities and families were displaced. As a result, the Centre launched a "regional weather prediction system" for the Wayanad district. It is conducted through "satellite imageries and global databases," and rainfall collection from existing rain gauges distributed all over Wayanad. The rain gauge's affordable material (PVC pipe) made it easily accessible for farmers and families alike. The Humes' weather prediction system aimed to predict local weather patterns so that they could give warnings about landslides. At the same time, farmers throughout Wayanad saw the importance and usefulness of this system that allowed them to predict the time to sow seeds and harvest their crops.
That same day, we were taken to where one of the landslides took place as well as a tea estate that housed one of the rain gauges. We rode in a teal jeep; the back of the jeep had a large door and window. I got to sit closest to the window! As the jeep drove to our destination, I was cooled down by the refreshing winds. We were going up a mountain and became close to the clouds. There were no longer many stores or people that we passed by but gigantic trees and other mountains in the distance covered with greenery. I could smell the rain coming soon until it did. It was the best feeling ever. Droplets against my skin as I breathed in the cool air. What a time to be alive. We met with one of the workers at the tea estate and were shown the rain gauge. The farmers collect the data every morning and then share it with the Hume staff. This may be a "simple" system, but the impact is anything but that. Multiple times, the Hume Centre has notified communities of a potential landslide, which led to an evacuation before the landslide. It has supported many families' livelihoods and ensured the safety of their lives.
After the tea estate visit, we went to the landslide site. It continued to rain. When we arrived, seeing the trail the landslide left behind was surreal. Ranjini, one of the Hume researchers, explained that this relatively empty plot of land in front of us was where families lived. She continued to describe how the families had to leave, relocate, and separate from their community due to the landslide. I struggle to imagine and fathom the pain of a group of people being torn away from their homes. There was no trace of this vibrant community besides the pathway of a landslide. The Hume Centre's efforts demonstrate the importance of collective action and the vital role of affordable, accessible technology was commendable. Although community-focused solutions are a beautiful response to environmental injustice, the devastating impacts of climate change illustrate how essential it is to adapt and change our behaviors and never stop challenging the status quo, as collectives like the Hume Centre consistently do.
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| Our driver who drove us to Chembra Peak. Photo by Anna Guevarra |
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| Chembra Peak in the Western Ghats of India covered with clouds. Photo by Anna Guevarra |
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| One of the rain gauges located in the Chembra Peak area to help predict the rain for farmers. Photo by Anna Guevarra |
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| One of the field researchers showing us the site of a landslide in the Chembra Peak area that destroyed a number of communities. Photo by Anna Guevarra |
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| I had to include the children I met at the Hume Centre. We danced and sang all night! I was so so happy to be there. Photo by Anna Guevarra |
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| We also got to play soccer, volleyball, etc., with the children of the Kurichiya community! They were so lovely. All of the children have been a blast. |
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