More than 100 years after a devastating flood obliterated the former British plantation town of Munnar in present-day Kerala, a proposal to revive a 120-kilometre stretch of road linking the hill station to Kochi has raised significant environmental concerns.
Known historically as the Royal Munnar Road, the route — once central to a network of colonial-era infrastructure and believed to be centuries old by some — was washed away during the Great Flood of 1924. The deluge, which lasted nearly three weeks, erased much of old Munnar’s infrastructure, including a light railway, postal network and roads built to support the British-run Kanan Devan tea estates.
In response, the princely state of Travancore constructed an alternative route via Neriyamangalam in the foothills of the Western Ghats. Today, Munnar remains well-connected by road to Kochi, Kottayam and also to Madurai and Theni in Tamil Nadu.
Despite these existing links, tourism lobby groups have long pushed for the revival of the old Aluva-Munnar route, claiming it would reduce the distance between Kochi and Mankulam in Munnar by around 20 kilometres. The proposal has recently gained momentum, with the state’s forest and tourism departments reportedly considering it favourably.
However, environmentalists and conservation scientists have expressed alarm. Critics argue that the government — led by the Left Democratic Front — is caving to pressure from religious and commercial interests, risking significant ecological damage in one of Kerala’s most biodiverse regions.
A study by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) warned that the proposed road would fragment nearly 400 square kilometres of contiguous forest in the Pooyamkutty Valley, a key habitat in the Western Ghats. The route, running from Pooyamkutty to Perumbankuthu, would cut through dense reed, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. According to the study, the area’s proximity to protected reserves, coupled with its vulnerability to soil erosion, makes it ecologically critical.
The original road has long been reclaimed by forest. Aside from remnants of a collapsed bridge, little trace remains. The KFRI study recommended an alternative route through Kuttampuzha, Mamalakandam, Avarkutty, Anakulam and Mankulam — one that would avoid forested areas and improve access to tribal communities.
Environmentalists also warned that reopening the road could intensify human-animal conflict in Idukki and Ernakulam districts. Habitat fragmentation, they said, had already led to increased encounters between wildlife and people.
In a high-profile incident last week, Mar George Punnakkottil, the Catholic Bishop of Kothamangalam, led a protest march through the forest demanding the road’s reopening. The forest department registered a case against him for alleged illegal entry, but the state government later decided not to pursue it. Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran reportedly instructed officials to review the proposal positively.
Historically, the demand for a Kochi-Munnar road dates back to the early 20th century, when British planters sought better routes for exporting tea through the newly developing harbour at Kochi. The Kanan Devan company spearheaded the push for what became the Royal Munnar Road, later upgraded in 1914 from a bridle path to a cart road known as the Western Outlet Road. The 1924 floods, however, destroyed it beyond repair.
Despite calls from planters, the Travancore government declined to rebuild the road due to prohibitive costs. Instead, it initiated construction of a new route — Neriyamangalam to Pallivasal — completed in 1931 and still in use.
The proposal to revive the Aluva-Munnar Road has gathered momentum in the state assembly. State Forest Minister Saseendran acknowledged that the proposed route would traverse 26 km of dense forest and cautioned that it could disrupt elephant corridors and exacerbate wildlife conflict.
Bishop Punnakkottil, however, accused the forest department of adopting an “anti-people” stance. “This road was widened during the reign of Travancore King Ayilyam Thirunal in 1870. I drove through it in 1988,” he said. He claimed the road remained functional until 2012 and questioned the legality of its closure, given that it was under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department.
Church leaders, including Father Pious Malekandam, vicar general of the Kothamangalam diocese, also asserted the road’s historical importance, linking the ancient port of Muziris to Madurai. The route’s gentler gradients would cut fuel use and travel time, he said.
Interestingly, both the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress have backed the church’s position, although environmental groups have escalated the matter to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Kochi-based Animal and Nature Ethics Committee (ANEC) has called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention, alleging that real estate and tourism interests are fuelling the campaign. The group warned that wildlife losses are already at critical levels, alleging 763 wild elephants reportedly died in Kerala between 2016 and 2023, with the current population estimated at 1,800. More than 50 tigers were also lost over the same period, bringing their estimated population to just 180.
While Kerala’s Tourism Minister, Mohammed Riyas, has said the road could benefit tourism, conservationists remain sceptical. The Forest Department has tasked its Principal Chief Conservator, Rajesh Raveendran, with conducting a feasibility study. A report is expected within three months.