Monsoon Havoc: NH10 Closed as Landslides and Flooding Hit Sikkim-Kalimpong Route

Tuesday was the fourth day that NH10, the major route that links Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri and other regions of the nation, remained closed.

The region's ongoing monsoonal rainfall caused landslides on a few other steep roads and swelled the Teesta and a few other nearby rivers.

While the Teesta inundated parts of the downstream hamlets and the Darjeeling-Kalimpong Road near Teesta Bazar, the Leesh river overflowed its banks and flooded a community in the Jalpaiguri district's Malbazar subdivision, forcing the locals to relocate to safer areas. Indian Army personnel from a nearby camp arrived at the scene and assisted with rescue and relief efforts.

A significant section of the NH10 road had collapsed close to Birkdale's View Point. To widen the area and remove the mountainside, the state PWD has mobilized labor and equipment. Restoring the 100-meter section will require at least one week. Although work is ongoing at the location, it is frequently hampered by the rain, according to a PWD official.

Due to the circumstances, the Kalimpong district government has decided to stop traffic on that section of the highway, forcing drivers to reroute via Gorubathan and Lava.

This morning, a little landslide and a car getting stuck in the rubble caused traffic to be impacted as well along the Coronation Bridge at Sevoke. In contrast, the Teesta reached a height of 145 meters close to the bridge—less than five meters above the danger line.

Given the unstable state of NH 10, some truck drivers are choosing alternate routes, such as Gajoldoba or Jalpaiguri-Mainaguri-Malbazar, in order to reach Gorubathan. According to a source, cars were alarmed when accumulated precipitationwater began spilling over the Coronation Bridge yesterday.

Up to 8:30 a.m. today, Darjeeling and Kurseong received 147 mm and 104 mm of rain, respectively, over the course of the previous day. A major road that connects Kurseong and Siliguri, the Rohini Road, has seen small slips as a result of the heavy rainfall.

Twelve houses under the Rangli-Rangliot block sustained partial damage as a result of the slides.

Cars on the road between Darjeeling and Kalimpong ceased to move early in the morning due to flooding caused by the Teesta river. As the water level dropped later in the afternoon, traffic began to flow again.

The Leesh river's water levels rose in the Jalpaiguri subdivision of Malbazar, breaching part of the embankment and inundating Chanda Colony, a community under the Bagrakote panchayat.

People strolled up to NH31 after leaving their houses. Additionally, the river began to spill across a section of the road.

The administration took swift action, and tools were delivered to the location to restore the river's natural flow.

"The river's path must be altered to prevent harm to the highway. In order to prevent the river from further breaching the embankment, iron meshes packed with rocks are also being installed, according to an official.

Laltongbusty, a hamlet on the borders of Siliguri, has been inundated by the Teesta on its right bank downstream. The river has also flooded Totgaonbusy, which is located on the left side of the river and in the Malbazar subdivision.

In response, members of the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), the highest authority on tourism in the area, started a campaign to save NH-10.

HHTDN general secretary Samrat Sanyal stated, "We would request the Center to send a technical committee of the Geological Survey of India to carry out a thorough survey and come up with a permanent solution for the highway."

In order to get the Prime Minister and the chief ministers of Bengal and Sikkim to intervene, he said, "we will organize a signature campaign throughout the region."