Heavy showers in the Bhutan hills, along with the sub-Himalayan Bengal, triggered a surge in water levels in several rivers flowing into Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts, including the Torsha, the Sankosh and the Rydak.

The swollen rivers swept away homes in Bamandanga-Tondu tea estate in Jalpaiguri’s Nagrakata block in the Dooars, claiming at least five lives.

Torrential rain in north Bengal, leading to floods and landslides, has so far claimed 23 in north Bengal, including 18 in Darjeeling and five in Jalpaiguri. Of the 18 in Darjeeling, 11 have died in Mirik alone.

“In Jalpaiguri, the worst flood-hit areas are at the tri-junction of three rivers, the Murti, the Diana and the Jaldhaka under Nagrakata, Banarhat, Maynaguri and Dhupguri police stations. Bodies have been recovered, and rescue and relief work is on,” said Khandbahale Umesh Ganpat, the Jalpaiguri SP.

Swollen rivers and streams have also flooded the Jaldapara and Gorumara national parks in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts. Streams and rivers like the Holong, the Shishamara, the Torsha and the Buri Torsha have inundated vast areas of Jaldapara. The Holong bridge has been completely washed away.

Wild animals, including rhinos, deer and gaurs, were seen being swept away by the Torsha from the Jaldapara National Park. A rhino was also swept away by the Jaldhaka river from Gorumara National Park.

As the news spread, foresters acted to trace the animals.

Later, it was learned that the Gorumara rhino had returned to the park. Two rhinos from Jaldapara were rescued, the third is stuck in Pundibari of Cooch Behar.

Birbaha Hansda, the Bengal minister of state forests, said over the phone from Calcutta that she was in touch with forest officials monitoring the situation in these parks.

In Jaigaon, along the Bhutan border, water from the Torsha submerged several villages.

Bhutan alert

The floods prompted the Bhutanese government to issue an alert to Bengal. In a media release, the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), Thimphu, reported a technical failure at the Tala Hydropower Project, where dam gates along the Wangchu river (Rydak in India) could not be opened. Water is now flowing over the dam, aggravating downstream flood risks. Bhutan requested the Bengal government to be on high alert and promised to continue sharing
real-time updates.

State irrigation minister Manas Bhunia blamed the Centre. “Since 2011, the state has been urging the Centre to form a joint river commission with Bhutan for a sustainable solution to this annual menace, but they never paid attention,” Bhunia said on Sunday evening, adding that nearly 72 rivers and streams enter north Bengal from Bhutan.