Landslides, roadblockades in Darjeeling hills following heavy rains

EOI, DARJEELING, JULY 2, 2024 : Incessant overnight rainfall on Monday caused landslides, uprooting of trees in several areas across the hills of Darjeeling and disrupting traffic movement. In the Kurseong sub-division, a landslide occurred at Mahanadi Line and a huge tree was uprooted at Rohini Road near Chisopani on Tuesday Morning. 

However, timely intervention by the district administration ensured the two affected routes were cleared for the movement of vehicles. The Mahanadi and Rohini routes in Kurseong connected the hills to the plains of Siliguri after a few hours of disruption. In the past 24 hours, Kurseong received a total of163.22 mm of rainfall. 

In Darjeeling, heavy rainfall caused landslides between 3rd Mile and 6th Mile near Jorebunglow on Tuesday morning. The route connects Darjeeling with the Kalimpong district. The road was cleared by the district administration after a few hours. 

Traffic movement from Kalimpong to Darjeeling via Teesta Bazar was also affected and closed following landslides at various places along the NH-10 stretch.

The Teesta Bazar area has been the worst affected by the monsoon rainfall in the hilly region. 

River Teesta breached the bank and spilled over to the main road. However later in the day the movement of vehicles was allowed with careful monitoring by authorities. 

The National Highway 10 that connects Kalimpong and the Himalayan state of Sikkim is currently hit by landslides in the 29th Mile stretch, including at Likhubhir and Ravi Khola. The weatherman has issued a yellow warning for the hills for a few more days and advised people to be vigilant while venturing out.