AILA& DISASTER

Houses at Chunnapati, Rongli subdivision of Sikkim hang precariously close to disaster (Sikkim Express)

A house at Haridashatta, Darjeeling ravaged by landslide being searched for survivors. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

Photo Source: http://savethehills.blogspot.com/ Photos: Chinlop Fudong, Anubhav Sood, Suman Tamang and Rabin Rai

Darjeeling landslide toll reaches 27

Siliguri, May 28 (IANS) With the recovery of three more bodies, the toll in the landslides in West Bengal’s hill district of Darjeeling due to Cyclone Aila has risen to 27, police said Thursday.

“We have recovered three bodies from the debris at Rangiabong under Jorbungalow police station area this (Thursday) morning. One of the bodies has been identified as Pramila Rai, 68,” a senior official of the Jorbungalow police station said.

He said the teams of Natural Disaster Management Authority have started rescue operations in the cyclone-hit areas.

Meanwhile, state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen reached Darjeeling Thursday morning to hold meetings with the district administration. He is likely to visit the landslide-affected zones and will also survey the situation there.

“Search operations are on in some areas as at least four people are still missing from the Darjeeling district after the cyclonic storm,” the police officer said.

According to district administration sources, 14 bodies were found in areas under Darjeeling Sadar police station, six in Jorbanglow police station area and seven in Kurseong sub-division.

More than 500 houses were damaged due to torrential rain that started Monday, when Cyclone Aila hit West Bengal and continued Tuesday.

Nearly 100 landslides took place across Darjeeling and its adjoining areas inconveniencing thousands of residents living in the hilly region.

Cyclone Aila created havoc across West Bengal Monday, claiming a total of 87 lives by Thursday.

26 DIED IN HILLS

KALIMPONG, KN, updated on 28th May:Thaiindian News reported that with the recovery of four more bodies, the toll in the landslides and floods in the state’s hill district of Darjeeling rose to 26, while 40 people have been injured, while some were still missing.

The army, which had been called in to carry out the rescue operations in different parts of the hills, was withdrawn Wednesday, but Seema Sashastra Bal troopers were still on duty.

Two teams of the National Disaster Management Group have also been sent to Darjeeling to clear the roads, Bhattacharjee said in Kolkata.

Darjeeling, May 27, The Telegraph: Pooja Gurung was cleaning a mat at her Haridashatta house here when she heard a small thud and felt herself being pushed against the door by the sliding hills.

“I immediately cried out for help but cannot remember anything more. I was probably unconsciousness by then. It seems some people came over and rescued me from under the debris,” said the 29-year-old woman.

Among those who came to her aid were her neighbours Kumar Rai and Kawal Gurung. Finding Pooja alive and fine, they started digging up a drain near her two-storied concrete house to ensure that the flowing water was properly channelised so that there were no more landslides.

“This was around 6.45am yesterday morning. On hearing about our plight, eight of our relatives including my brothers came over from Soom tea garden (situated about 20km from Haridashatta) to help us,” said Pooja.

Soon a group of about 20 people started clearing the debris from Pooja’s house. They rescued six of her family members — her mother Tilamya and four relatives— along with seven others from two families who are her tenants.

“They could not save anything from the house but they saved our lives,” said Pooja.

The group of 20 saved 14 people, but did not stop at that. They tried to retrieve household items and save the structure.

By then it was around 11.30am and the rain continued unabated. “Then we heard another rumbling noise and there was another major slide. In fact there was three continuous slides within the next 45 minutes,” said Pooja.

When things settled down, an eerie silence followed. Six of the rescuers were nowhere in sight.

“Kumar mama and Kawal daju were pulled out dead yesterday itself. Another daju, Nitesh, and uncles Dilip Pradhan, Kharka Rai and Binod Pakhrin just disappeared. We looked for them but they could not be found,” said Pooja. However, later today the body of Kharka Rai was found.

In fact, Binod, an army man serving with the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, had come to visit his wife. “On hearing that his neighbour was in trouble, he had come to help the Gurungs,” said K.B. Hingmang, who resides in the same neighbourhood.

The Pakhrin family, which originally hails from Soreng Busty near Teesta Bazar, had rented a house at Haridashatta to send their son to a nursery school nearby.

Last evening, Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung visited the Gurungs.

This morning, a large number of volunteers descended on Haridashatta to search for the missing three. .

“It is sad that so many people lost their lives while trying to save others,” said Darjeeling district magistrate Surendra Gupta, who arrived in town last night after covering 15km between Mungpoo and Jorebungalow on foot.

He said the death toll had risen to 26. He added that the administration was distributing tarpaulins and rice among displace people.

NHPC HIT BY FLOODS

Kalimpong, May 27, The Telegraph: The swelling river waters have caused immense damage to stages III and IV of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation’s under-construction Teesta Low Dam Project (TLDP).

Between the two projects, the TLDP IV at Kalijhora has been hit worst by heavy rain induced by Cyclone Aila. NHPC officials said permanent constructions like powerhouse and dam and heavy machinery have been destroyed at Stage IV on the Teesta.

At Reang, where Stage III is located, it was temporary constructions that had borne the brunt of the rising river.

While the distance to Reang from here is about 25km, Kalijhora is further 15km away.

S.K. Modhak, the project manager of Hindustan Construction Company, which is executing the civil construction at Stage IV, said his area of operation alone had suffered a direct loss of Rs 20 crore and a indirect loss of Rs 35 crore after the Teesta had submerged a large portion of the site.

Modhak said the project, which was to have been commissioned by December 2010, had been pushed back by at least six months, if no other I impediment was caused to the work by rains. “The construction was designed to handle 5,000 cusec of water, but the volume of water rose to as high as 10,000 cusec in the past few days.”

The gushing waters swept away a Bailey bridge and caused extensive damage to the slopes on either bank of the river at Stage IV. “The water that has entered the dam and power house will have to be pumped out and the accumulated slush removed,” he said.

Statesman News Service, KURSEONG/MALDA/COOCH BEHAR, 27 MAY: The death toll from the Darjeeling hill landslide rose to 23 with the recovery of three more unidentified bodies from Haridashatta in Darjeeling today. Rescue workers fear more people remain buried under the debris in the slide-hit areas of Darjeeling and Kurseong sub-divisions.

The affected areas remain without power or water supply. Transportation is far below normal throughout the Darjeeling hills. The West Bengal Governor Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi visited the Cutlery Busty in Kurseong today and took stock of the situation. The locality took a heavy toll from the landslide. The SDO Kurseong Mr Dibyendu Das said that the government would pay Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased within the next two or three months. The administration has opened three relief camps at Springfield as well as Castleton Tea Estate and Community in Kurseong to shelter the victims. The Darjeeling MP Mr Jaswant Singh visited the affected sites today. “A four-member team has been set up to prepare a report on the situation and funds from the MPLAD would be disbursed accordingly,” Mr Singh said in Kurseong today. Mr Singh also said that he would raise the Darjeeling landslide issue in Parliament and demand funds from the Central Calamity Relief Fund to rehabilitate the victims. The Darjeeling Rajya Sabha MP Mr Saman Pathak has allotted a fund of Rs 10 lakh for the rehabilitation and restoration works Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Aila has disrupted the power network, affecting the drinking water supply across the district.

Aila Batters Dareeling Hills

Times of India 27 May 2009, 0513 hrs IST, Deep Gazmer, TNN: As a downpour battered the picturesque hills all night, landslides either washed away or damaged houses and roads in Darjeeling and Kurseong subdivisions. Darjeeling town was cut off from the plains as rain and swirling mountain torrents devastated Hill Cart Road (NH-55), Pankhabari Road and Rohini Road.

Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, the hills got 245 mm of rain. By 7 am, the rain was playing havoc with life and property. "We have called out the army for rescue work," additional DM P Zimba said.

As strong winds uprooted trees and electric and telephone poles, the hills went without electricity and phone services were down. Traffic on Hill Cart Road was closed after two mountain torrents, Khaharay and Whilstle Khola, washed away portions of it near Kurseong town. A landslip obstructed movement of traffic on Dowhill Road in Kurseong. Fire brigade, police and civil defence personnel were deployed for rescue operations. At some places, GJM's police wing Gorkhaland Personnel was engaged. "So far, 17 people have died in the hills. We are trying to retrieve the body of a child from the debris in Kurseong," an official said. Nine people were killed in and around Darjeeling town. Kewal Gurung (45) was among those who lost their lives after cyclone Aila struck the Hills. He had been trying to save his relatives at Haridashatta. Tashi Doma and Rishika Subba, both three years old, died at Ghoom and Harsinghatta. Two woman were buried in a landslide at Khasmahal Busty (Block IV) in Jorebunglow, 7 km south of Darjeeling. In Kurseong, six persons, including two minors, were killed at Cutlery and Singell near St Paul's Parish. In Darjeeling town, landslides damaged houses at Jawahar Busty and Frymal Village. Altogether 19 people were admitted to Darjeeling District Hospital with injuries. In Kalimpong, landslides were reported from various places like 11th Mile, 12th Mile and 27th Mile.

Bureau: The first landslide report of the season made the unaware entire District Relief Department of the Government busy throughout the day from Monday. Rainfall recording was just started from 27th morning in Kalimpong SDO's Office Due to heavy rainfall (250mm on 25-26 May till 8.30am)of 25th May that lasted for 48 hrs till 26th May casualties from different parts of the District is received from different agencies. Due to electricity loadshedding caused by the landslide and AILA communication system was totally disturbed and first hand reports couldnot be received .

As per the informations received a house was swept away by landslide in Saipatri Gaon of Topkhana, Kalimpong. Mrs.Naina Chhetri 25 was rescued by the local people from the debris and rushed to the Hospital. She was later operated for her ruptured Spleen and now is out of danger. Some houses near Kalijhora and other places too were swept away by fresh flood of River Teesta, Bailey bridge of NHPC Stage IV , Kalijhora too was swept away.

Jorebunglow is worst hit... a whole village [Jungle Busty] has been swept away. Many houses have also been swept in and around Jorebunglow, 3rd mile, 14th mile and Permanent Busty area.

Prafulla Rao, Secretary of Save the hills states " that almost 72hrs after sending email and sms alert to most NGOs and a concerned Govt Agency and posting the satellite picture of the cyclone in its nascent stage, Cyclone "AILA" is here. We have had incessant rain since yesterday (65mm on 25May09 and 67mm so far today- 26May at 0700h) and the forecast is that we will continue to have heavy rain until 27May 09 at least." (Ref: http://savethehills.blogspot.com/)

Outlook india.com( http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?660442 ) reports "Nine bodies were dug out of debris of landslides in Darjeeling and six others died in mudslides at Kurseong," Additional District Magistrate (General) P Zimba said.

The hill station of Darjeeling remained cut off from Siliguri in the plains as both Hill Cart Road and Pankhabari Road from the north Bengal town remained blocked by landslides at Ghoom and at 100 other places, SP Rahul Srivastava said. Darjeeling District Magistrate Surender Gupta said that five army teams from 123 Mountain Brigade began rescue work and BSF's help was sought. "Two disaster management teams from BSF will arrive here early tomorrow to clear the roads," he said. In Gangtok, roads in the Himalayan state were blocked by minor landslides, while 300 houses collapsed. Seventy-seven cm rain was recorded in Sikkim since yesterday. "The Geyzing-Jorethang and Namchi-Melli roads were blocked by landslides which were cleared in the morning," South District Magistrate D Anandan said. Over 300 wood houses collapsed and relocating the people was proving to be difficult with roads remaining blocked at several places and with rains beginning again, officials said.