Hemkar moves on...

I am deeply saddened to announce the demise of one of the youngest (34yrs) members of the STH family.
Hemkar passed away on 30Jul2010 after battling a malignant tumor in the brain for many months.
He was the most computer and internet savvy person in STH as well as a good photographer and we will miss him dearly.

Praful Rao

Busy days..third week of Jul2010

The past few days have been busy.
Heavy showers at least two small landslides within Kalimpong town and we were also involved with several awareness camps including a large one at Pedong (Kalimpong) where the Pedong Protection Committee had invited us to talk on landslides on 25Jul2010.

Praful Rao

Meeting with (CNI) Church of North India (Disaster Management Cell) - 17July2010

STH held a meeting with members of the newly formed Disaster Management Cell of the Church of North India (McFarlane Memorial Church), Kalimpong at the DISHA centre on 17Jul2010. After giving them a detailed run down of the landslide situation, rainfall statistics etc it was decided that STH would work together with CNI on a series of awareness camps around Kalimpong town intially - targeting the most vulnerable and populated areas first. Thereafter these camps would be carried out in the outlying areas of the subdivision.

Praful Rao

Jun2010 rainfall analysis.

For the second consecutive monsoon month (ie May and June 2010) we have received deficient rainfall in the district - even though with the deficiency has reduced from 43% (see here) to 25% thanks to the rainfall towards the month end.
What is evident, is that in all the three towns we have received no rain (or had only a trace) for roughly half the month (ie17days) and the trend is to have sharp peaks of high intensity rainfall - which is bad news for us because it is just this sort of extreme event which triggers off landslides.
The month's rainfall data from 3ARGs at Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong is placed below:-

STH Activities : Working with students ,03Jul2010

From the vantage point of location, what was achieved in a 30 min talk, I am sure 20 classroom lectures would have never have done.
It was possible for the 170 children to see at least 3 major landslide zones on the eastern face of Kalimpong town and also observe the cause of the slides viz the tremendous developmental activity which is taking place on the Kalimpong ridge line.
Like in all other towns of the district, urbanization at the crest is taking place at a frenetic pace, leading to a huge increase in the volumes of surface run-off (rain) water. This eventually finds its way into the natural drains or jhoras which are incapable of handling both the volume and velocity of water - resulting in uncontrolled erosion and scouring. Right now this is taking place in rural areas and at the base of the hills but unfortunately the slides are creeping upwards towards the densely populated urban areas.

Praful Rao

My grateful thanks to the St Augustine School Alumni Association for enabling us to do what is one of STH's primary roles - sensitizing the student community.

Announcement : 1st Indian Landslide Congress, 01-02Nov2010, Lucknow, India

I am glad to state that STH will be participating in this Congress by giving a powerpoint presentation on the landslide scenario in the Darjeeling hills and also by sending a collection of photographs of landslides for the photo exhibition.

Praful Rao

Milestones : Jun2010

1. 03Jun2010 : A meeting with H.E. Shri MK Narayanan, Governor of W. Bengal and Hon. M.P Shri Jaswant  Singh in Darjeeling.

7 members of STH met and apprised the Governor of W Bengal and the M.P of Darjeeling district on the prevailing landslide situation in the district and the need for a holistic, long term strategy to manage and mitigate the hazard.
In addition Mr Zion Lepcha of CHIBO village (a very vulnerable area in the vicinity of Kalimpong town) spoke on behalf of the villagers and submitted a petition to the dignitaries.

2. Completion of Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) work at CHIBO/PASHYOR villages.
STH had commenced CBDRM work in the above landslide prone villages in Jan2010 (see here). I am glad to state that we could :-

•  Sensitize the villagers about the landslide problem in their area and prepare them to live with the hazard in a more informed way.
• Train some 11 people in first aid and also provide them some basic first aid equipment (see here).
• Provide them with some basic rescue equipment in the 2nd week of Jun2010.
• Establish a rudimentary SMS based early warning system in the village.
  

3. Featured on Dave's Landslide Blog.
Dr David Petley's (Univ of Durham, UK) landslide blog is an authoritative documentation of landslides occurring all over the world and is read by almost all people working on landslide hazards . 
I am glad to state that STH has again featured on the blog here (see para 6).

Rainfall analysis 01- 20 Jun2010 (Darjeeling district)

Average monthly rainfall for the month of June (source) : 495mm

As we move into the third week of Jun2010, the rainfall we have received is well below the average rainfall (see IMD chart above) - yet we have had 3 fatalities in Kalimpong (see here)  and at least 3 major landslides on NH (National Highway) 31A (see here) which links Siliguri-Gangtok and NH55 (Siliguri-Darjeeling) - see here.
Besides this I know that Sikkim has had its own share of landslides which have disrupted water supply to the capital and roads

Praful Rao

Death in the mountains

I attended the funeral and cremation ceremony of  the victims of yesterday's landslide (see here) at the Buddhist Cremation grounds at Tirpai, Kalimpong.
The family had put up photos of the victims (mother, daughter and son) while Tibetan lamas (monks) chanted prayers in the background.
What makes these deaths so senseless is that the landslide could have been wholly prevented with a little attention to the drainage in the area.
But then I am afraid that we will see this costly mistake being repeated ad nauseam all over the Darjeeling Himalayas as the monsoons intensify.

Praful Rao

The shape and size of landslides to come -17June2010.

As if to prove STH’s grim predictions true, a small landslide occurred at 4.30AM this morning very near my home in Tirpai, Kalimpong – unfortunately small though it was, three people (a mother aged 48yrs old and her daughter, 21yrs and son, 16yrs) lost their lives. The survivors were the father, an aged grandmother and a dog.
The cause of the slide was very apparent, lack of drainage in a densely crowded urban area where very obviously there has been no planned construction.
This reminds me of a letter sent to me by Dr David Petley of Durham University and one of the foremost authorities on landslides :-

"I fear that we will see a legacy of landslides in the urban areas of Asia over the next decade as a result of the incredible rate of urbanization in Asia"

And what is most scary is that the monsoons have been exceptionally mild thus far with the district having got 43% deficient rainfall this year (see here) and last evening we had the FIRST of our major thundershowers in June2010 when it rained a total of 45mm over a 12hr period.

Praful Rao