An avoidable tragedy: Mal Bazar (05Oct2022) 8pm

Mal Bazar is now a large town in Jalpaiguri district in the Dooars (see map above). The Dooars mainly consists of tea growing areas which are dissected by numerous small rivers originating in the foothills of Kalimpong district in W Bengal (India) and Bhutan, the two major ones being Jaldhaka and the Torsa rivers.
The foothills on the northern borders receive some of the heaviest rainfall in this region (approx 4000mm annually), often in violent thunderstorms in the late evening and night.

On 05Oct2022 at around 8pm, after completion of Durga Puja in Mal Bazar, the idols were taken by the worshipers for the immersion ceremony to Mal river. What followed still seems rather blurry and confused, but many people were swept away as can be seen in the video
- 8 people died.

video credit: State IAG WhatsApp group

The 24hr (0830am to 0830am) rainfall record (in mm) of Gorubathan and Jaldhaka , both small hamlets in the catchment area (see map) where STH has manual rain gauges are given below:

My personal assessment is,

• At this time, the rivers of this area are fast flowing mountain streams fed by rainfall in the catchment area in the foothills.
• Having said that, I don't think the rainfall for the past three days could have triggered a 'flash flood'. There are no dams in the area.
  
• More likely, that they underestimated the current and in the ensuing panic people lost balance and drowned.
  

A media report is placed below:

And of course the politicians have stepped in to give their expert opinions:

 Update

Praful Rao
Kalimpong district
Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya

Rainfall data for Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya for May2016 and a sure way to kill our mountains

Much of Darjeeling district went deficient in rainfall in May2016 whereas in Sikkim, there was abundant rain.
Richu bridge in North Sikkim was washed away following the intense rains of 15/16May2016 and that proved to be an unexpected bonanza for hoteliers in Kalimpong with tourists changing their destination from North Sikkim to spend some time in Kalimpong.
Kalimpong was almost bone dry and desperate people started drilling the mountain aquifers to pump out water.

A study done in 2012 by a local NGO, revealed no shortage of surface water for Kalimpong town; the real reason for this shortfall only being mismanagement and corruption.
As such there is no requirement for drilling bore wells in Kalimpong in the first place.
Therefore, STH went on local TV and appealed through the press not to tamper with ground water without a thorough study of our aquifer system and also without plans to recharge drying springs.
So far this appeal has only fallen on deaf ears with the GTA announcing that it plans to dig another 10 bore wells in Darjeeling district.

Photo credit : Chinlop Fudong
Rainfall data collection : Rohan Rao, STH

Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling