Incessant monsoonal downpour in Sikkim and in the sub-Himalayan Bengal over the past couple of days affected highway and road connectivity and suspended toy train services.

A source in the Kalimpong district administration said that because of rain, water levels of the Teesta rose near Teesta Bazar early this morning, flooding SH12 which connects Kalimpong to Darjeeling.

“As the state highway got submerged, traffic came to a halt on the highway till the afternoon. Later, as water levels receded, vehicles were allowed to move,” said the source.

The Teesta river floods Teesta Bazar on Tuesday

In Sikkim, road connectivity between Gangtok and other places of Sikkim with the rest of the world was affected through NH10 till Tuesday afternoon after a landslide occurred at Bardang between Rangpo and Singtam.

The traffic closed between Singtam and Ravangla because of a landslide at Nagdhara. Work is on to restore road connectivity, sources said.

Toy train break

Because of the heavy rainfall, the landslide-hit area on NH110 near Tindharia could not be restored. Thus, the regular toy train service between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway stayed suspended on Tuesday as well.

DHR sources confirmed that the regular toy train service between NJP and Darjeeling had stopped on September 13.

“If weather improves, we may resume the service after restoration work on Wednesday,” an official source said.

Border wall collapse

In Jalpaiguri, the state irrigation department issued a red (secondary) alert along the unprotected areas (where there are no embankments) on both banks of the Teesta as the water levels rose downstream due to rainfall in the upper catchment areas.

On Monday night, a stretch of a boundary wall, put up by the Bhutan government on the India-Bhutan border in Jiti tea estate of Nagrakata block, collapsed as rainwater had accumulated on the other side of the border.

Administrative and police officials, along with elected representatives and authorities of the estate, rushed to the spot and evacuated 32 persons stuck in the area due to the sudden flash flood when accumulated water gushed into the area as the wall fell.

“A 100-foot-long stretch of the wall suddenly collapsed at the border, and water gushed into a labour line (quarters). We immediately reached and evacuated stranded workers and their families. They were shifted to a safer accommodation,” said Pankaj Konar,
the BDO.

On Tuesday, a team from the Bhutan government visited the affected site.

Past danger level

In Malda, the swollen Ganga flooded five more villages of Uttar Chandipur panchayat in Bhutni islet of Manikchak on Tuesday.

The irrigation department issued a red alert along the bank of the Ganga at Manikchak Ghat as the water level crossed the extreme danger level (25.30 metres)
on Tuesday.

“The water level is still rising. It was 25.33 metres high on Tuesday morning,” irrigation sources said.

Residents of Bhutni said water from the Ganga was still gushing into Uttar Chandipur following a breach in the embankment on Monday.

“Six villages were inundated on Monday, another five got flooded on Tuesday,” said Tarikul Islam, a resident of Uttar Chandipur.

Administrative sources said the irrigation department was trying to repair the breach, but strong water currents were foiling their efforts.

Amid this situation, the district secondary education department shifted three venues of higher secondary examinations (third semester) to Manikchak College.

“An alternative arrangement was made for 658 HS semester examinees of Bhutni to write their papers at Manikchak College,” said Banibrata Das, the district inspector of schools (secondary) of Malda.

Forecast: More rain

Sources in the regional Met office in Gangtok said during the past 24 hours, that is, till 8.30am on Tuesday, there has been heavy rainfall in places like Namthang (98mm), Pakyong (93mm), Gyalsing (88mm) and Mazitar (81mm)

In Darjeeling, it rained 108mm. Kalimpong received a rainfall of 104mm.

“There is a forecast of heavy to very heavy rain in places like Gangtok, Gyalsingh, Namchi, and Soreng of Sikkim, and also in the hills and adjoining plains in north Bengal during the next 48 hours,” said a weather expert.