Kazi compound, Murgihatta lies on the very edge of Kalimpong municipal limits to the east and below it (see sketch) . A network of small drains from Kalimpong town ie from the Mela ground, Motor stand, Baghdhara area discharge rain water from the built up areas of the town into a bigger drain or jhora which flows past Kazi compound.
The huge increase in built up areas within the town has resulted in a significant increase in the run-off (surface) rain water flowing into the drains. Unfortunately, the drainage system has not been revamped to cater for this increase and the volume of rain water now far exceeds the carrying capacity of the drains.
Whereas the network of drains within the municipal limits of Kalimpong can still cope with this; the problem commences when the water reaches beyond the town limits ie at Kazi compound.
Here there is hardly any drain at all except for the natural one or “jhora”. With jhora training/repair having been shelved for many decades now, the huge torrent of water in this jhora has now started causing landslides (see photo)…
too close to densely populated urban areas.
The “jhora” or drain problem here affects approximately 20 houses in the above area and as if to complicate matters a big sewer which carries waste from a large part of the Kalimpong town thru this area to the municipal septic tanks below Kazi compound is also threatened by this landslide.
- report filed by Ms Aachal Tamang
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comment by praful raoIncreasingly, landslides like the one above are being caused by us humans and therefore cannot be blamed on geological factors or the vagaries of nature.
Therefore, controlling this hazard is also well within our power.
Incidentally the landslide was triggered off by approx 36mm of rain on 04Aug2007.
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