Darjeeling Landslides: Environmentalists Warn of Man-Made Himalayan Disaster

Environmentalists have labeled the recent catastrophic landslides in Darjeeling as a "man-made ecological disaster," attributing the tragedy to decades of deforestation, reckless urbanisation, and governance failures that have pushed the fragile Himalayan slopes to the breaking point. The disaster, triggered by 12 hours of relentless rainfall, claimed over 20 lives, left countless families homeless, and transformed the picturesque "Queen of the Hills" into a scene of wreckage and despair.

The landslides, which struck areas including Mirik, Kurseong, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling towns, are a stark reminder of the consequences of human neglect. Experts argue that this was no unpredictable calamity but the inevitable result of ecological exploitation and administrative apathy. Sujit Raha, an environmentalist with the North Bengal Science Centre, stated, "The hills are paying for decades of neglect—deforestation, unplanned roads, and reckless construction have destabilized the terrain. The rain was merely the trigger; the real cause is our mistreatment of the mountains."

Darjeeling’s ecological crisis has been exacerbated by unchecked urban growth, poor drainage systems, and rampant hill-cutting for construction. Shailendra Mani Pradhan, a disaster management expert at Sarojini Naidu College for Women in Kolkata, highlighted the region’s vulnerability as a high seismic zone prone to landslides. "Unregulated development for tourism and housing, with multi-storey buildings on unstable slopes, has pushed the terrain to its limits," he said. He criticized the lack of functional district-level disaster management committees, calling for decentralized planning and strict enforcement of construction norms to prevent further catastrophes.

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Environmental scholar Vimal Khawas, from JNU’s Special Centre for the Study of Northeast India, emphasized that the disaster reflects a broader Himalayan crisis, seen in similar tragedies in Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. "Habitations have spread into marginal areas where construction should never have been allowed," he said, pointing to weak enforcement of land-use regulations, particularly after the Gorkhaland agitation. Khawas criticized the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) for lacking the expertise and infrastructure for effective disaster management, noting that plans drawn up in Kolkata fail to account for local topography.

The environmental fallout extends beyond the hills. Activist Subhas Dutta warned that continuous soil erosion is raising riverbeds in the plains, increasing flood risks as rivers like the Teesta and Mahananda shift their courses. "The natural flow of rivers is disrupted, with riverbeds now higher than surrounding inhabited areas," he explained. Dutta advocated for a comprehensive environmental management plan for the north Bengal-Sikkim belt to address these interconnected issues.

Satyadeep Chhetri, an environmental expert, described the eastern Himalayas as having entered a "climate crisis" phase, with extreme rainfall patterns shifting to September and October. He flagged the refilled South Lhonak glacial lake as a renewed threat and criticized large-scale hill-cutting for highways and the ongoing Rangpo railway project for further destabilizing the terrain. Chhetri urged the relocation of communities from high-risk zones and the rehabilitation of affected families to mitigate future risks.

The disaster evokes memories of the devastating 1968 deluge, which killed nearly 1,000 people in Darjeeling. Environmentalists are now calling for urgent action: decentralized disaster preparedness, climate-sensitive development, and inter-departmental coordination to manage water resources effectively. Without these measures, experts warn, Darjeeling risks becoming a recurring disaster zone, its natural beauty marred by preventable tragedies. As the region grapples with the aftermath, the focus remains on rebuilding sustainably and ensuring that the Himalayan slopes are no longer pushed to the brink by human negligence.

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