Heavy Rain Triggers Landslide in Darjeeling District; Damages Roads

A spell of heavy rain triggered a landslide in West Bengal's Darjeeling district, damaging a stretch of the main road linking Rimbik and Lodhama areas in the hills and affecting traffic flow, police sources said on Monday.

The sources said no casualty was reported in the incident on Sunday afternoon. The landslide heavily damaged the newly-constructed road stretch redeveloped recently at a cost of Rs 20 crore. The district administration had begun repair work on the link road from Monday morning.

North Bengal districts, along with the neighbouring Assam and Bihar, have been on the receiving end of incessant rainfall over the past one week. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a cyclonic circulation lies over east Uttar Pradesh and a north-to-south trough (elongated low-pressure area) runs from east Bihar to north Odisha. As per the forecasts, the unsettled weather will bring widespread rainfall across the Sub-Himalayan West Bengal region over the next five days.

From June 1 to 29, Darjeeling district has received an 'excess' amount of rainfall of 627 mm rainfall, as the normal of 515 mm— 22% above-normal. Even the Darjeeling city has been receiving more than 30 mm rainfall over the past few days. Heavy rains are forecast to continue in the region over the next 2-3 days.

Earlier this month, early June rains triggered a massive landslide in Assam's Barak Valley that claimed at least 20 people, including women and children.

(With inputs from IANS)