SaveTheHills(STH) is a group of concerned citizens who are raising awareness about landslides in Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya.
Many landslides are the direct or indirect result of human interference and preventable if sufficient care is taken.
As such, unless we begin a comprehensive and sustained program towards landslide management, prevention and mitigation, the consequences of ignoring years of human callousness will, in the future be devastating.
On 12Mar2009, a motley group from STH trudged down to Sindebung, a small village in the underbelly of Kalimpong with a view to make a documentary on the landslide situation there. Sindebung has been scarred by landslides for years now and they have reduced much fertile farmland into rock, rubble and sludge yet nothing has been done by way of landslide prevention. (Earlier STH blogs featuring Sindebung are on 14Mar2009, 08Nov2008 and 02Nov2007)
I have uploaded a small clip from the interview of one resident of Sindebung village. It is our intention to mail the documentary when complete to the National, State and District Disaster Management Authorities besides broadcasting it over local channels.
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My thanks to
a) my young STH friends, Aachal, Karan and Hemkar.
b) Mr Sandip Jain of Journalist Association of Kalimpong.
c) Hill Channel TV
d) Most of all to the people of Sindebung village.
___________________________________________________ The article :
Human activity causes increase in landslides Date: 30/08/1993
Source: “Down to Earth”
INDISCRIMINATE tree felling, construction, mining and quarrying, combined with heavy rainfall, have increased the fragility of the Himalayan mountains, leading to an increase in the incidence of landslides in the region. Of all the world's landslides, 30 per cent occur in the Himalaya, according to a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) study on the causes and consequences of natural disasters in the region and the protection and preservation of the environment.
The study, based on official reports, notes an average of about 75 major landslides occur annually in just central and western Nepal and this costs the country about $130,000 in damages to land and cattle alone.
The Nepalese government believes that indiscriminate mining and ill-planned road building are to blame for the widespread wastage of land resources, which forces rural communities to encroach into forests and further aggravates soil erosion. However, not all experts agree with this conclusion. Numerous studies argue that natural processes play a far greater role in the Himalayan region in causing landslides than human-induced ones.
In Sri Lanka, too, the government believes that landslides are increasing largely because of development projects that have spread even to steep hill slopes and other unstable locations in the country's central and southwestern regions. More intensive cultivation, which means more irrigation and more denudation of watersheds, also is being blamed.
Monsoon- and cyclone-induced rainfall are said to be major causes of landslides and land collapses, including riverbank erosion, in Bangladesh's hill districts, particularly the Chittagong region and parts of Sylhet. Experts say there is urgent need for a sound land-use policy in a land-hungry country like Bangladesh, if a halt is to be put to indiscriminate cutting of forests and poorly planned roads.
During the rainy season in Pakistan, landslides along highways in the Murree hills, Pir Panjal and the Hindu Kush are also triggered by dam construction and open-pit mining.
Besides natural factors, landslides in Bhutan have also been brought about by human activity, especially the building of roads and canals, which result in deep slope cutting and land saturation. _______________________________________________
Several days ago I received an invitation from Prof R Sahu, Director of Centre for Himalayan Studies (CHS) , University of North Bengal , Siliguri for a seminar at the university and yesterday STH was represented in full force at the CHS. The speakers from STH were Er Mr U M Pradhan and the undersigned. It was good to be there in such an august gathering and we certainly look forward to much more interaction with CHS, NBU.
Nehore Balasun Tea Estate (T.E) is a part of Sukhia Block, Darjeeling Subdivision, Darjeeling District. Landslides have affected this area since 1998 and where there were once orange orchards and extensive forestation there is now only dusty, crumbling slopes - landslides have devoured the orchards, parts of the T.E and homesteads. In the past 77 families had to be shifted from their homes and rehabilitated and this year a further 88 families may have to follow the same fate in the most affected villages of Babu and Siran Gaon. Though geological surveys have been carried out and officials of the state govt have visited the area nothing has been done by way to trying to control this devastation or manage the landslide. So as of now, the letter addressed to me is just another voice in the wilderness... and I wonder just who is listening?
- As narrated to the undersigned by young STH activist Bhusan Chhetri of Kurseong College and Mr Ashok Gurung of Nehore Balasun. - Photo Credit : Bhusan Chhetri _________________________________________
For those interested, Balasun landslides have been featured on this blog earlier on 18Feb2008 and 04Oct2007
Kalimpong, March 13: Seventeen families in Sindebong have been displaced by landslides in the past three years and are yet to be rehabilitated. Fifteen more families fear they may suffer the same fate.
The displacements have taken place mostly in Bhameygaon in the Sindebong gram panchayat: result of landslides that started in the nineties. “The disaster may happen every year as there is hardly any effort to check the calamity. Not only that, a major part of Kalimpong town is likely to be affected by the slides,” said Praful Rao, the president of Save The Hills, an NGO working on landslides.
Bhameygaon is only 5km from Kalimpong town.
Dilip Bhujel, who had once lived in Bhameygaon, claimed that a Geological Survey of India study in 2006 had said the landslides, if unchecked, would wreck havoc across 524 hectares hitting right up to Dr Graham’s Homes atop the hill. “Ten villages fall in the gram panchayat area. This means 788 families are at risk. Since then, we have been spending sleepless nights,” said Bhujel, who shifted to Gairigaon, 1.5km from the landslide-hit zone, out of fear.
Gopal Chhetri, who lost his house and 0.1 acre of land in the landslide of 2007, has been staying with his family under a shed on property owned by another villager. “We are yet to receive any help from the government. I somehow make ends meet by working as a day labourer. Now even my neighbour wants me to look for another place,” said the 57-year-old. His neighbour, Tek Bahadur Thapa, too, lost an equal area of land the same year.
Save The Hills is making a documentary to highlight the landslides in Sindebong. “Lack of drainage, coupled with a large number of jhoras (small streams) criss-crossing the area, is the cause of landslides. These jhoras have neither been widened nor strengthened,” said Rao.
Officials of the Kalimpong block I — Sindebong gram panchayat falls under it — said they were too tied up with election-related work to look up the records of the relief provided to the affected villagers. “We will let you know the statistics later,” one of them said.
Having failed to move the authorities, the villagers are now hoping for divine intervention. “Three years ago, we set up a devi (goddess) mandir near the landslide-hit zone in the hope that she will protect us from the danger,” said Bhujel.
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Comment by Praful Rao
STH members visited Sindebung (our third visit) in pursuance of our annual program - to make a video on the landslide hazards in this area. Many affected people were interviewed and the landslide areas filmed. On completion the video will be sent to the National/ State Disaster Management Authorities as well local govt officials in charge of Disaster Management.
Placed above are images from Gangtok. On top is the landslide which occurred disrupting the water supply (read previous blog) to Sikkim's capital and above a familiar sight to most of us living in this part of the world, people lining up to buy water from a water tanker in Gangtok - the capital of Sikkim state. _______________________________________________________
My thanx to Ms Mita Zulca, prominent publisher of Gangtok, Sikkim and Mr Sagar Chhetri of "NOW", a daily from Gangtok for the photos. While bringing you these images, STH has networked with NGOs / mediagroups and private citizens to TRY and publish and catalogue reports/ photographs of landslides as they occur in the Darjeeling/ Sikkim region. I do hope we succeed!
Anthropogenic landslides. "These are a cause of great concern, especially in areas of rapid growth in which cities are rapidly expanding. 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 urbanisation in Asia." Dr David Petley, Univ of Durham UK
_______________________________ An Excerpt from the Telegraph today
Water supply hit
- Pipes snap after slide
OUR CORRESPONDENT
A queue to collect water from a tank in Gangtok on Sunday. Picture by Prabin Khaling
Gangtok, March 8: Water supply to Gangtok and its surrounding areas has been affected since yesterday morning as six pipes coming from a stream, the only source for the town, snapped following a landslide the previous night.
Since yesterday, the government has started ferrying water tanks on trucks to different areas of the town. Long queues of people were seen on the banks of the major streams.
On Friday, the pipes broke apart and were buried under rocks about 100m from Ratheychu which is the only water source for the Sikkim capital and its adjoining areas.
Around 36 million gallons of water from this source is supplied to Gangtok and its surrounding areas daily after it is treated at the Selep treatment plant, 10km from here.
“All the six main pipes have been damaged in the landslide and are buried under huge rocks,” P.S. Basnett, the principal chief engineer-cum-secretary of the state water security and public health engineering department, told journalists.
The landslide is 18km away from the Selep treatment plant. Water from Ratheychu is pumped into a pressure brake tank near 2nd Mile and then ferried to the treatment plant through the six main pipes.
“Restoration work is in progress and we will try to restore the two main pipes by Saturday evening,” Basnett had said yesterday.
Today, officials said the restoration was on at a war-footing and all personnel including the engineers were engaged in the process.
“But it may still take three more days for the supply to become normal as the place where the landslide occurred is a sinking zone and a lot of debris have to be removed from the area,” an engineer of the department said. The damaged cast iron pipes would be replaced by high density polymer pipes, he said.
Normally the winter rains (and the occasional snowfall) in this part of the world is caused by a series of WESTERN DISTURBANCES (WDs). These are extra tropical storms which pick up their moisture from the Mediterranean sea and Atlantic ocean and move thru Iran, Pakistan, northwest India and finally over our region during winters giving widespread rain and snow . This year however, the WDs have followed a route which is much to the north of their normal tracks ( see slide 1) , also they have exhausted much of their moisture in the northwest resulting in no rain or snow this entire winter (Nov-Feb) in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. In comparison, last year we did have much more rain and even snow during this period. As a result, fields are ploughed fields are dry (slide 2 shows fields in Bhalukhop, Kalimpong) and the crop of maize which feeds so many in this part of the world may be adversely affected. The other fallout of this drought maybe acute shortage in potable water supply in the urban areas and forest fires.
Talking about the weather, here is a useful link regarding rainfall and weather prediction
I realize we are late, but better late than never. Also what is placed below (our Action Plan for 2009) is at best an indication of our intended Plan of Action (POA) for the 2009. As the months melt into one another so will our plans but I am confident at the end of the year we will have accomplished much of what is planned.
As the STH Treasurer, Mr AK Pradhan has continuously cautioned me much our POA will depend on the fund position and having formed only recently STH does have a severe budgetary limitations. However, I do believe with a little help from our friends here and abroad the aims set forth below are reachable.
Finally, despite the much hyped about "paradigm shift in Disaster Management from a relief centric response to a one based on PREVENTION and PREPAREDNESS", factually nothing has changed at the grassroot level and it is still based on a post-disaster response to an event - ie waiting for a disaster to occur and then reacting to it.
This must change.
Therefore as an NGO, our role will largely be about changing this mindset and acting as a pressure group to have PREVENTIVE and MITIGATION work initiated against a hazard which has afflicted us relentlessly. That, and to spread awareness about the largely anthropogenic causes landslides...
which is what the STH Annual Program (2009) is about.
JANUARY a) Prepare the STH annual program (Completed) b) Prepare to participate in National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) /Army awareness workshop at army cantonment in Kalimpong in Feb2009. Role also includes liaison between the army authorities and public of Kalimpong. (Completed)
FEBRUARY a) Participate in the NDMA / 33Corps Workshop on “Medical Aspects of Disaster Management” on 05Feb2009. (Completed - see earlier blog for report and photos of the Workshop) b) Translate and arrange to print publicity pamphlets in Nepali (with the help/resources of NDRF)
c) Membership drive amongst individuals as well as institutions and NGOs.
MARCH a) Arrange for Landslide Hazard Awareness Workshops with Schools / Colleges / Social Clubs/ Rural areas inclusive of Cinchona and Tea plantations. This will be an ongoing program through the year.
b) Arrange a meeting with all Social Organizations of Kalimpong to chart out a community response to the problems of oncoming monsoons (such as drain cleaning)
c) Set up Landslide Alerting Posts all over the district with the help of NGOs and SHGs and check on means of communication for reporting landslides.
APRIL a) Work on a video on landslide hazards as well as STH activities. This will involve filming at landslide zones, interviews with affected persons etc and will be an ongoing project.
b) Rotary Club of Kalimpong Power Point presentation competition on “SaveTheHills” and Landslide Hazards in the Darjeeling/Sikkim Himalayas.
MAY a) Execute community response planned in March (para b)
b) Sit and draw competition on ENVIRONMENT taking students of all the schools (age group between 10 to 15 )
JUNE a) 05JUN WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY celebration ( Organize a rally, street play and program in the Community Town Hall)
b) Keep a track of and report on landslides all over the district/ Sikkim
c) Visit landslide zones where possible, assess loss/cause.
JULY a) Seven day tree plantation program in concert with the Forest Dept taking students to different landslide area of Kalimpong
b) Keep a track of and report on landslides all over the district/ Sikkim
c) Visit landslide zones where possible assess loss/cause.
AUGUST a) Keep a track of and report on landslides all over the district/ Sikkim
b) Visit landslide zones where possible assess loss/cause.
SEPTEMBER
a) Survey, classify and update data of landslides in all the affected areas of the District (and Sikkim if possible)
b) STH Foundation Day Celebration (inviting guests from Darjeeling ,Sikkim , Siliguri , Kurseong )
OCTOBER a) Continue the awareness programs
b) Photo Exhibition on “Landslide Hazards in Darjeeling /Sikkim Himalayas” at Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Gangtok.
NOVEMBER a) Fund Raising program for STH in Kalimpong/Darjeeling etc featuring a prominent musician.
b) Continue the awareness programs
DECEMBER a) Continue the awareness programs
b) Assess the impact of awareness / landslide prevention measures taken thru the year.
The NDMA together with the Army Authorities (33Corps) held a one day Awareness Workshop on "Medical Response to Disaster" at Kalimpong on 05Feb2009. The NDMA was represented by officers and personnel of 106 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Battalion at Kolkata. The Chief Guest was the GOC 27 Mtn Division, Gen VK Pillai and the resource persons were included STH besides govt and medical officers. The workshop was followed by elaborate and detailed demonstration by army medical corp personnel on casualty evacation, setting up of emergency treatment and information centres and a line-up of equipment used by the NDRF in disasters. STH was involved with the workshop in liaising with army and civilians and inviting NGOs, providing data/photographs of landslide disasters and of course delivering a lecture :The Need of the Hour". Approx 50 people of Kalimpong attended the workshop.
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My thanks to the NDMA and Army for holding this workshop at Kalimpong and allowing STH to participate in it. My thanks also to all members of STH who helped in planning and executing our role in the workshop
