"The times, they are a changin" - extreme weather-related events in the past week

• Large parts of India are reporting deficient rainfall even as July2012 (our rainiest monsoon month) is ending- as such the spectre of drought looms large over many parts of the country (see top map- source http://www.imd.gov.in/section/hydro/dynamic/seasonal-rainfall.htm).
• The bread basket of the US reels under severe drought conditions (see bottom map - source http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/).
• In the week beginning 21July2012, 77 people died due to flooding in Beijing in the heaviest rainfall recorded since record keeping began 60yrs ago.
• NASA reports "strange and sudden massive melt in Greenland" when the ice melt area went from 40 percent of the ice sheet to 97 percent in four days. You can read about it here

Praful Rao

100mm of rainfall & World Heritage site in peril : Tindharia (19July2012)

STH has covered the Tindharia landslides earlier (see here and here). On 19July2012 following approximately 100mm of rainfall (as per our ARG at Kurseong), a portion of the ground adjacent to the workshop collapsed endangering the famous 100yr old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway workshop located at Tindharia.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY WORKSHOP AT TINDHARIA (KURSEONG)

The construction work including rail track of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways started in May 1879 and completed from Siliguri to Tindharia in 1880. The Governor General of India, Mr. Lord Litton inaugurated the train running in March 1880. Narrow Gauge train was operated upto Darjeeling in 1881. A miniature workshop was built at the present location of loco shed TDH in 1881. Tindharia workshop was built temporarily in the last part of the 19th century for maintenance of NG locomotives and carriages and wagons of DHR. Installation of Tindharia workshop at the present location started in 1913. The workshop came into operation in 1925. The total area of the workshop is 6670 sqm, out of which 3810 sq.m. is covered. DHR was initially tagged with NE zone and was subsequently transferred to NF in the year 1958. The world heritage committee at its 23rd session at Marrakesh, Morocco decided to inscribe Darjeeling Himalayan Railway site on the world heritage list. This was done on 26.11.2000 and it has deepened Indian Railways’ commitment towards the preservation of steam heritage on this system.

Photo credit : STH Member Bhushan Chhetri and Mr Kundun Yolmo (Siliguri)

Praful Rao

100mm of rainfall,14-15Jul2012 :Images from Kurseong

Despite IMetD stating that Darjeeling district has had normal rainfall, STH's rainfall gauges located at Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong all show less than normal rainfall for May/June/and till date in July2012.
This is further substantiated by the fact that paddy cultivation which normally takes place in July in Kalimpong is on hold since paddy fields which should be flooded by monsoon rain water by this time, are still dry.
Despite this on 14-15July when we had just 100mm of rainfall over a 12hr period, landslides blocked the National Highway (NH) 31A between Gangtok and Siliguri and Darjeeling was also cut off from Siliguri for some time due to the above slips and not surprisingly the landslides took place along roads which are known to be a major cause of landslides the world over
Top photo : Road near Giddah Pahar in Kurseong
Bottom photo: Vehicles held up on the Pankha Bari Road to Siliguri.

Photo credit :STH member of Kurseong Bhushan Chhetri

Praful Rao

Picture of the day : Landslide on 05Jul2012 (National Highway 31A)

The National Highway linking Siliguri to Gangtok (NH31A) was blocked for almost 8hrs today by this landslide at Berrik. The highway is being widened by the BRTF (Border Roads Task Force) along the entire path.

photo credits : Kundun Yolmo, Siliguri

Praful Rao

Rainfall data Darjeeling district : Jun2012

From the above data, it is evident that where as Kurseong in Darjeeling district received normal rainfall, the towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling were running deficient in rain for the second consecutive monsoon month. Jaldhaka which is a tiny hamlet in the foothills bordering the Dooars received its heavy quota of rainfall (which it normally does) and Gangtok in Sikkim also reported 40% higher than normal rain.
We have had no major low pressure areas, depressions or cyclones forming in the Bay of Bengal in 2012.
Also no major landslides in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya in Jun2012.

Praful Rao

All about rainfall (with May 2012 stats)

Monsoon rains 50% below average in second week

The country's crucial monsoon rains were 50 per cent below average in the week to June 13, the weather office said on Thursday, a second week of scant rain and confirmation the four-month season has got off to a slow start.
But crops are not greatly affected by the quantity of rains in these initial stages, with distribution of rainfall in mid-July after the monsoon should cover the entire country more important for their growth.

 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast average rainfall for the whole June to September season - the third year in a row to avoid a drought.

The monsoon rains are important for farm output and economic growth as about 55 per cent of the south Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed, and the farm sector accounts for about 15 per cent of a nearly $2-trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest.

 The monsoon rains were 36 per cent below average in the first week, reflecting a delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains over south from the usual June 1 start date.

The monsoon rains are important for farm output and economic growth as about 55 per cent of the south Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed, and the farm sector accounts for about 15 per cent of a nearly $2-trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest.

 The monsoon rains were 36 per cent below average in the first week, reflecting a delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains over south from the usual June 1 start date.

Excerpt from Reuters (14Jun2012)

Praful Rao

From the Telegraph (14Jun2012) - Tindharia landslide on National Highway 55

Siliguri, June 13: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is worried that a fresh landslide will topple a portion of the nearly 100-year-old railway workshop perched immediately above a highway stretch that sank at Tindharia last year.

The DHR wheel shop that houses five to six heritage machines sits precariously just 200 metres above the damaged stretch of NH55. Nearly 150 metres of the highway were washed away in a landslide triggered by heavy rain on September 28 last year.

The DHR officials said the machines were too heavy and couldn’t be relocated to another part of the workshop.

“The wheel shop on the right side of the workshop is at the risk of falling over along with machines which are nearly 100 years old. The machines are too heavy and they cannot be shifted. We were hoping that the damaged stretch of the highway would be repaired before monsoon. However, there is no sign of restoration and we fear heavy rainfall may trigger fresh landslides, causing the wheel shop and machines to collapse,” said a DHR official.


Praful Rao

Images from Sikkim (May-June2012)

Rolep (East Sikkim). 7 deaths occurred in this area on
07Jun2012

Landslide at Rolep (East Sikkim) - 07June2012

Flashflood/Landslide in Lachung

A field destroyed in Lachung

Landslide in Lachung (North Sikkim)

Photo credits - Sikkim Express.

Praful Rao

One day after the monsoons arrive, 7 deaths in Sikkim

07Jun2012, Gangtok (Sikkim)
Seven persons including four from the same family were buried alive when a landslide and flashflood triggered by rainstorms struck their houses at Rolep, 16 km from Rongli in East Sikkim early Thursday morning. The incident took place at around 4.30 a.m. The mudslide triggered by a flash flood swept away a sleeping Mehang Rai, a class 5 student from his house in Rolep. Being situated on the upper reaches of the slide-hit area, Mehang’s house was first one to be washed away, reports reaching the state capital said. The landslide also buried alive four members of the same family, all of whom reportedly died in the sleep. The victims have been identified as Birman Rai (60), his wife Mani Maya Rai (49), daughter Tika Devi Rai (14) and son Suman Rai (10).

excerpt from North East Today

Comment by Praful Rao

The monsoons withdrew soon after the 6.9R earthquake which rattled Sikkim and north Bengal on 18Sep2011 as such the rains of this year will be the first major bout of precipitation that will be hitting  the mountains of the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya.

May2012 has seen a largely deficient rainfall scenario in this region (see here) and thus far monsoon activity in this area has been rather weak. As such it surprising that with the 10 odd days of rainfall, there has been quite a few landslides in North Sikkim and 7 fatalities in East Sikkim yesterday.

Rainfall data from Tadong (below Gangtok) for 07/08Jun2012 has been 50mm and 126mm respectively and for Gangtok for the same dates has been 44mm/112mm respectively.

Monsoons 2012 have arrived over North Bengal and Sikkim

Overnight, monsoon strikes north

Calcutta, June 6: The monsoon travelled fast and long overnight to cover the whole of the Northeast and parts of north Bengal.

In north Bengal, the monsoon entered Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri today. Over the next couple of days, there could be further movement of the monsoon flow in the region.

North Bengal, unlike the south, has been receiving regular pre-monsoon showers for the past few days. The top arm of the monsoon flow first strikes north Bengal. Then the flow rises to cover the south as well.

excerpt from The Telegraph of 07Jun2021

- Praful Rao