The four-day heavy rainfall in north Bengal has caused significant damage in the Darjeeling hills and foothills, according to district administration sources.
The relentless downpour has resulted in landslides and cave-ins that have severely damaged several roads. Numerous homes, too, have collapsed because of the intense rainfall.
“The consistent rainfall that started last Tuesday and continued till Friday evening led to landslides. The landslides have damagedaround 300 houses in the hills. Roughly 60 roads at different locations across the hills have been affected bylandslides and minor cave-ins,” said a source in the Darjeeling districtadministration.
In the hills, the Pulbazar and Sukhiapokhri blocks were the most hit. Road connectivity snapped at different locations because of the downpour that led to the slides. Also, some damages have been reported in Darjeeling civic area as there have been slides at Lebong Cart Road and near the local railway station.
Last week, weather experts said that during the four days, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Siliguri receivedunprecedented rainfall. While it rained 538.20mm in Darjeeling, the other two towns received rainfall measuring 368.20mm and 406.90mmrespectively.
“It was more than the average monthly rainfall of sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim. In September, the average monthlyrainfall is 388.1mm,” saidan expert.
In Kalimpong, though it rained heavily, the damage was comparatively lesser. “The main damage was on NH10 as landslidesoccurred at multiple locations. The highway was opened on Tuesday for light vehicles. Drivers and commuters have been advised to take alternative routes if it rains again,” said an official.
The downpour also damaged roads in the four blocks of Siliguri sub-division — Matigara, Phansidewa, Naxalbari and Kharibari.
Arun Ghosh, the sabhadhipati of Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad, said: “Many rural roads were damaged because of the heavy showers and waterlogging. The most affected areas were in Kharibari and Matigara blocks. We are doing the necessary assessment of the loss.”
