Bengal’s highest point, Sandakphu, experienced a fresh bout of snowfall on Thursday, May 1, much to the elation and surprise of trekkers, tourists and residents.
Located at around 11,900 feet above sea level in the Singalila National Park area of the Darjeeling hills, the region was covered in a thick blanket of snow on Thursday morning.
“It is rare to have snowfall in Sandakphu in May. It usually snows in the region from December to February, but this time, it snowed in April and even on May 1. This hints at the changing climatic conditions in the Himalayan region,” said Raj Basu, a veteran in the tourism industry of the region.
Many trekkers and tourists who reached Sandakphu on Wednesday were thrilled to witness the snowfall, said residents.
A resident said that the footfall of tourists and trekkers increases in the region after winter, peaks during summer and continues till the monsoons.
“Trekkers want to avoid snow and ice, which makes trekking tough. But today (Thursday), they loved the fact that it snowed,” said the owner of a trekkers’ hut (accommodation for trekkers) in the hilly hamlet.
Sources in the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that over the past few days, it has rained across the sub-Himalayan Bengal and neighbouring Sikkim.
In Sikkim, snow has fallen in the Tsomgo (Chhangu) Lake and Nathu-la during the past few days.
“Along with the summer rains in the foothills and the hills, it has snowed in some of the upper reaches. During the next couple of days, there is a forecast of rainfall, along with gusty winds. There can be thunderstorms and hailstorms in some places,” said
a weather expert.
Sikkim landslides
A landslide occurred along NH10, the principal highway that connects Sikkim district Mangan with state capital Gangtok, on Wednesday.
“The landslide occurred near Seven Sisters’ Falls, a popular location along NH10. Vehicles travelling between Mangan and Gangtok had to take the Rakdung-Tintek Road detour. Authorities have taken up the task to clear the debris,” said Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network.
Rainfall in Sikkim triggered landslides in multiple locations in Mangan, the sole district in the northern part of the mountain state, last week. Around 1,400 tourists visiting Lachen and Lachung, two prominent tourist spots in the area, got stranded. Eventually, the debris was cleared the tourists were evacuated from both these places.
