Multiple landslides in the hills and flash floods in the plains, triggered by intense rainfall on Saturday night, have dealt a severe blow to the tea belt of north Bengal.
Tea planters across the region are now assessing the extent of the damage, as regular operations in many estates — such as plucking and production, have come to a standstill.
In Darjeeling, nearly half of the region’s 87 tea estates have been impacted by the landslides and torrential rains. “There have been fatalities in estates like Phuguri, Seeyok and Pussimbing. Workers are in mourning and operations have been halted,” said Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal adviser to the Darjeeling Tea Association.
Mukherjee said that in several gardens, approach roads had collapsed or had been washed away and power supply disrupted because of landslide-hit electric poles.
“In addition to the damage caused by landslides, swollen local streams have swept away sections of plantations — ranging from one to seven hectares per garden. Production has come to a halt at a critical time just weeks before the season ends. The total losses are yet to be calculated,” Mukherjee said.
A similar scenario is unfolding in the Terai and Dooars tea belts. Here, floodwaters from overflowing rivers and streams have eroded plantations and buried vast stretches of tea bushes under thick layers of silt and debris.
“In some gardens, floodwaters have entered factories and warehouses, damaging large quantities of stored tea ready for dispatch. Workers’ quarters, roads and vital infrastructure have also been hit. Tea companies are facing massive financial losses,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, secretary general of the Tea Association of India.
He further noted that stretches of embankments, culverts and bridges within the tea gardens have been washed away.
“Planters are now anxiously waiting for the weather to improve. Many are unsure whether the remaining days of production will be sufficient to recover from the damage. In fact, it may take several days just to resume basic operations in some estates,” Bhattacharjee said.
Among the worst-affected gardens in the Dooars are Mechpara, Kurti, Rheabari and Chengmari. In Chengmari, located in Jalpaiguri district’s Nagrakata block, some 300 hectares of plantation area have been affected.
“Around 50,000 tea bushes and nearly 200 shade trees have been washed away. Over 50,000 kilos of made tea stored in the factory have been damaged, while another 70,000 kilos of green leaves have perished,” said a source in the know.
Additionally, the flash flood damaged at least 150 workers’ quarters, 12 culverts and bridges, and submerged around 25 hectares of newly planted tea bushes.
In Alipurduar district, the overflowing Torsha river has impacted several tea gardens, including the Subhashini Tea Estate, which has been the worst hit.
“The Subhashini management has written to the district administration for assistance. Around 90 hectares of plantation are now buried under silt after the river flooded the area,” said Ram Avtar Sharma, the secretary of the Dooars branch of the Indian Tea Planters’ Association.
“At present, only 260 hectares of plantation are available for plucking tea leaves in the garden,” he added.
Gardens such as Beech, Satali, Bharnobari and Dalsinghpara have also suffered extensive damage from the Torsha-induced flash floods.
“Recovery will take months. The tea industry, grappling with high production costs and low price realisations, now faces another major setback. This disaster adds fresh uncertainty to an already beleaguered sector,” Sharma said.