Darjeeling’s hills bore the brunt of nature and human neglect on Monday, as torrential rains triggered a series of deadly landslides that left over 20 dead and scores homeless. Environmentalists have warned that such disasters are the inevitable consequence of decades of unplanned urbanisation, deforestation, and weak governance.
Experts describe the tragedy as a “man-made ecological disaster” and argue that the region’s fragile Himalayan slopes have been pushed to the brink.
“The hills are paying for decades of neglectt, deforestation, unplanned roads, and reckless construction have made the terrain unstable. The rain is only the trigger; the real cause is how we have treated the mountains,” said Sujit Raha, environmentalist and member of the North Bengal Science Centre.
Shailendra Mani Pradhan, disaster management expert and professor at Sarojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata, said, “Darjeeling lies in a high seismic area and is naturally prone to landslides. Yet, infrastructure development for tourism and housing continues without any adherence to building bylaws or drainage norms. The terrain is being pushed to its limits.”
He pointed out that construction of multi-storey buildings across Mirik, Kurseong, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling towns has sharply increased vulnerability. “There is no proper disaster management plan in place to tackle such crises. District-level disaster management committees remain largely non-functional,” he said.
Vimal Khawas, environmental scholar, said, “Habitations have spread into marginal areas where construction should never have been allowed. Weak enforcement of land use regulations, especially after the Gorkhaland agitation, has led to rampant building and road expansion without adherence to safety norms.”
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Khawas added that similar disasters in Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh signal a larger Himalayan crisis, driven by climate change compounded by local governance failures.
Subhas Dutta, environmental activist, highlighted how soil erosion in the hills raises riverbeds in plains, escalating flood risks. “The continuous soil erosion in the hills is causing stones and sand to flow down into the plains, raising the riverbeds and disturbing their natural course,” he said.
Satyadeep Chhetri, environmental expert, warned that the eastern Himalayas have shifted from climate change to a full-blown climate crisis. “The refilled South Lhonak glacial lake poses a renewed threat, and the shift of extreme rainfall to September-October signals a dangerous new climatic pattern for the region,” he said.
Chhetri also noted that highway expansions and the construction of the railway line to Rangpo have destabilised the terrain. “Relocation of habitations from high-risk zones and rehabilitation of affected families is now imperative,” he added.
Environmentalists have called for decentralised disaster planning, stricter enforcement of construction norms, and climate-sensitive development to prevent Darjeeling from becoming a recurring disaster zone.
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