Even though the SW monsoons set in our region on 31May2024, the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya started receiving significant rainfall only after the 10Jun2024.
IMD had issued appropriate warnings and press releases which attributed the heavy rain to 'a cyclonic circulation lying over northeast Assam & neighbourhood in lower tropospheric levels. and a trough which runs from East Uttar Pradesh to Nagaland'.
This weather system persisted for an inordinately long period resulting in a RED WARNING for heavy rain in our region which lasted for almost 10 consecutive days in mid Jun2024 and which caused a delay in the progress of the monsoons.
A senior meteorologist, I talked with said he had never witnessed this sort of phenomenon in his entire professional career:
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Satellite image post in 'Hazard Alerts', our What'sApp group.
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A typical rainfall pattern of thundershowers which are more often the norm in our region these days is shown below - these are sharp, heavy bursts of rain from Cumulonimbus (CB) clouds.
IMPACT
What is clear from the rainfall in June2024 is
- The heaviest rainfall took place in the plains of the Dooars with Alipur Duar clocking the highest rainfall.
- The foothills (Jhallong) also receive very heavy rain, some 4000mm annually and both our alternate roads (NH717A and the Gorubathan-Lava roads) to NH10 largely pass thru these foothills.
- Sikkim received more rain than Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts
- Even with this rain, many of our roads, especially NH10 are in tatters and unfortunately, things are not going to improve at least for the next 2 months or more - obviously, the Oct 2023 GLOF is the single most important factor causing this chaos.
While in the airforce many years ago, I was posted to Air Force Station Hashimara (which is very close to Alipur Duar) where receiving 200mm of rainfall overnight during the monsoons was not abnormal and the best part was NOTHING USED TO HAPPEN when we had such heavy rain. The river Torsa which flows close by never flooded and the drainage in the area used to swiftly take away the excess storm water into canals.
But we saw what happened in Mangan (North Sikkim), when they received 220mm rain on 12Jun2024 - there were many landslides, 6 people died and 1500 tourists were stranded in North Sikkim.
Bottom line: Our mountains are just too fragile and sensitive compared to the plains and we have to take care of them.
Praful Rao
with
Yukta Acharya
Kalimpong district
Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya
savethehills@gmail.com
9475033744
