Focus on CHIBO- PASHYOR landslide, Kalimpong district, Bengal (2017)

If I have a 'favorite' landslide, it's the CHIBO-PASHYOR landslide and the reason for it being my landslide of choice is :-

• It is located in the close vicinity of Kalimpong town and one can reach it within 15min on a vehicle.
  Not many researchers of landslides and certainly no high ranking govt official or VIP will travel 4 hrs on a bumpy, slushy road or much less, trek for 3 hrs to investigate a landslide. Most would much rather have a peek at the landslide from inside their SUV and go back to the comfort of a plush hotel to discuss the landslide on a laptop!
• The CHIBO-PASHYOR landslide is humungous - sufficiently big to impress researchers and VIPs alike yet not too dangerous during the dry season and winters, when most landslide research/survey is carried out.
  Yes! While flood surveys are conducted when a river is in full spate and large areas are submerged, most landslide surveys are generally done in the post monsoon (dry) period, when much of damage has been repaired or devastation/impact of landslides cannot be gauged fully. Too bad.
  SO while there are huge and dangerous landslides else where in this region, the CHIBO-PASHYOR slide remains my favorite and with the numerous scientific and other teams visiting it, I am glad that there is a tiny glimmer of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
  And all said and done, I am extremely glad that landslides in this region are getting due attention at last and that STH is able to play a minuscule role in all this.
 

 

Read more on:-
Colorado May2017, visit here
Prof Debasis Roy, Sep 2016 visit here
IIIT intervention in landslide Early Warning using rainfall threshold (FLaIR model)
Landslip project (see previous blog also)

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong district,
Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya