Rain racks Malda, Darjeeling and Sikkim- minor landslides and damaged a number of houses in the Darjeeling hills

Prolonged downpour since Thursday morning led to the death of three persons and inundation in several areas

A patient being shifted from a flooded ward of the Malda Medical College and Hospital on Friday.:Soumya De Sarkar

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TT Bureau   |   Siliguri   |   29.05.21: Prolonged downpour in Malda since Thursday morning led to the death of three persons and inundation in several areas of the district.

The rain caused minor landslides and damaged a number of houses in the Darjeeling hills. Other parts of north Bengal and the neighbouring state of Sikkim also received showers on Friday.

Malda recorded 309.3mm of rain in 24 hours till 8.30am on Friday.

According to sources, rain water entered houses and flooded Loliabari village near Chanchal. Many other parts of the district were water-logged on Friday.

Tanu Soren, 50, and her grandsons Rohit Tudu, 7, and Rahul Tudu, 9, died when a bamboo structure collapsed.

“There was a bamboo structure in their room which had racks where sacks full of paddy were kept. They were sleeping on a cot. Rainwater flooded the room and weakened the bamboo pedestals which were fixed to the ground. The structure collapsed and heaps of paddy sacks fell on the trio,” said a source.

Neighbours rushed in and took the trio out of the heaps of sacks. Soren, Rohit and Rahul were taken to a local hospital where doctors pronounced them dead.

The rainfall damaged agricultural fields and litchi and mango orchards.

“Altogether, 11 of 15 blocks in the Malda district have been affected by heavy rain. A number of huts collapsed. The assessment of damage is in progress,” said an official of the district administration.

Darjeeling received around 100mm rain in a 24-hour period. At least 45 houses were in precarious conditions at different locations in the hills because of landslides. Roads connecting Rimbick with Sepi and Seeyok tea estate with Sukhiapokhri in the Darjeeling subdivision were closed following the landslides. There was a landslide on Darjeeling-Pashupati Fatak road also. But debris was cleared later and traffic resumed on all these routes.

“More than 45 houses have been damaged either partially or fully….The affected families have been provided with relief. The civil and police administration, along with different departments, are working for restoration and relief,” said an official.

The downpour also led to minor landslides at a few places in Sikkim, which led to road blockades and partial damage to properties.

Landslides swept away portions of roads near Ezam Khola and near Denchung in Poklok-Kamrang, both in South Sikkim district.

A road near the public works department office in Singtam and the Pakyong-Ranipul road in East Sikkim were blocked for some time because of uprooted trees.

The rain damaged stretches of roads and some bridges at Lachen in North Sikkim.

“The landslides have also left some houses in precarious positions,” said Kunthup Lachenpa, a pipon (headman) of Lachen Dzomsa.

Gautam Deb, the chairperson of the board of administrators at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, held a meeting with officials to take a stock of the situation after the rainfall.

“Specific instructions were given to monitor the sewerage system so that waterlogging could be averted in the city. A control room will be opened at the civic body and will be operational during the monsoon,” said Deb.