Heavy rainfall causes damage in several Darjeeling dist areas

SANKHA GHOSH, SNS, SILIGURI, 18 JUNE 2023 : Heavy rainfall has caused extensive damage to roads, houses and bridges in Darjeeling Hills. The Met office has predicted that some north Bengal districts am likely to get heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next few days. Many areas in the region have received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts, to be accompanied by thunderstorms with lightning at few places for the next four days.

The Met Office said Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall (more than 20 cm at some places). Thunderstorms are also likely to be marked by frequent streaks of lightning in North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda districts.

According to administrative officials, Gorkhey, Samaden, Sirikhola villages under the Sirikhola-Daragaon gram panchayat and Takbia Busty of Goke-I GP in Darjeeling district have been affected. Two pucca houses were damaged in Mirik. The NTPC road to Takbia was swept away, they said.

An under-construction steel bridge at Sirikhola was severely damaged, while the Nakdah bridge at Lekhkhartka connecting Sikkim was swept away, officials said. The Mahabhir bridge connecting Rajabhir and Lower Okhray of Sikkim was also swept away. The Timburay bridge connecting Gurdum forest village was severely damaged, and an ICDS building under the Rimbick GP also suffered damage.

Sources said Gorkhey and Samaden werecut off from the rest of the country till reports received late in the evening today Darjeding district magistrate S Ponnamhalam said the administration was taking all the necessary steps.

"We are reviewing the nature of the damages," he said.

According to officials, 10 tarpaulin sheets had been distributed in Mirik alone.

The Director of the State Meteorological Centre, Sikkim, Indian Meteorological Department, Dr Gopi Nath Raha, said there is forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in some north Bengal districts. Dr Raha said the warning will be in place till 22 June.

Meanwhile, most of the stations of north Bengal and adjoining state of Sikkim have experienced a very long wet spell. Among the 32 weather stations of north Bengal and Sikkim, Barobhisa in Alipurduar district recorded the highest rainfall in the last 24 hours-205.8 mm, followed by Chepan in the same district with 159.9 mm, Buxaduar 132.6mm, Sevoke (Darjeeling)-123.4 mm, and Hasimara-- 119.2 mm. Darjeeling has received 84 mm rainfall and Siliguri and Champasari stations recorded 43.1 and 52.4 mm rains respectively.