On 4 October 2023, the River Teesta rose to catastrophic levels leaving a trail of devastation and destruction that Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong are still recovering from. The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) from the South Lonak Lake in North Sikkim at 17,300 feet above mean sea level came crashing down the Lachen Chu in North Sikkim wrecking havoc along its path. The waters raced down into the already brimming reservoir of the 1200MW Sikkim Urja Dam at Chungthang (5870ft AMSL) which was quickly overwhelmed and burst, releasing a wall of water that unleashed with a rage not experienced in our lifetime. The deluge swept through the Teesta valley, destroying everything in its 162 km rampage from the glacier to NHPC Teesta Low Dam Project (TLDP) III at 27th Mile in Kalimpong district. It continued its destructive flow into parts of North Bengal and Bangladesh.

Countless lives and livelihoods were lost (some documented and many not counted nor considered). Roads, bridges, hydropower dams, defense installations were washed away on that fateful day. For a disaster this size, the mainstream media coverage was limited and was mostly reported as the ‘Sikkim Disaster’. It did not help that West Bengal failed to officially call it a disaster. There was an outpouring of community response with leaders and volunteers pouring out in great numbers in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kaimpong to clear out the rubble and provide relief especially to people who lived along the lower reaches of the Teesta. Relief work began with great gusto but we realise that it is not so simple as building houses alone or distributing financial aid, it needs to make sense to the lives of the impacted communities. The memory of the disaster continues till date especially during the monsoons, yet these memories have not been converted to concerted action that is visionary and necessary.

Post the tragic GLOF event, we have lived through 2 monsoons. It is now a given, that the lifeline to Kalimpong and Sikkim from Siliguri will be broken multiple times during the rains, that Teesta will breach its bank at the slightest of upstream rainfall and overflow onto the highway, stalling traffic for hours on end. It is accepted that North Sikkim will get cut off and there will be more dramatic landslides impacting lives, livelihoods and the landscape. It has become common to see a stream of vehicles to Sikkim passing by Kalimpong or Darjeeling with the frequent closing of NH 10 due to landslides, rockfalls or the highway sinking. These alternate routes take at the very least double the normal travel time and the costs on the driver’s wellbeing, travelers’ added expenditures, disturbance caused to communities, and the perilous conditions of the alternate roads find little mention and are not factored. Two dry seasons have passed by but not much has been done for long term rehabilitation of the impacts of the disaster and strengthening infrastructure that does not come tumbling down with the rains.

The urgency and criticality for action is highlighted by the Centre of Science 2025 analysis of India’s Atlas on Weather Disasters  which shows that the Himalaya have faced extreme weather for 822 days since 2022, killing 2,683 people across 13 states and UTs.  The 2025 monsoon has been extremely harsh on the people and ecology of the Himalaya with a spate of big disasters. An analysis of news for 2025 till date shows that more than 1774 lives lost, 448 injured, 176 missing and over Rs 12 crores loss estimated. The increasing frequency and magnitude of disasters in our Himalaya is a result of our development trajectories as well as impacts of climate crisis impacts.

The Teesta Disaster 2023 with its catastrophic magnitude showed flaws in our development choices, disaster management systems, priorities including national and regional focuses. The GLOF is largely due to the impacts of the climate crisis that has resulted in faster melting of glaciers in the Himalaya as global warming is affecting the Himalaya most after the poles. A global phenomenon due to the production and consumption patterns of the industrialised nations and regions, impacts a low carbon footprint Himalaya with no global mechanism to compensate for the loss and damage to a vulnerable region.  The GLOF waters added to the Chungthang Dam waters wreaking havoc and adding to the discourse against misplaced large hydropower in the Himalaya that is extractive as well as destructive of the landscape and people.

At a national level, mountain disasters do not feature high on the priority list with a response system that is based on body counts and not socio-ecological loss and damage. The disasters in the Himalaya especially if it is not in urban spaces just do not add up to large numbers that bring national focus that is needed for proper response.  The first line of response in the Teesta Disaster were the immediate communities highlighting the need for local capacities in disaster response. While significant relief work was invested it did not get translated to the transboundary regional needs that the Teesta river basin flows through. The ‘Sikkim Disaster’ narrative limited interventions to a singular state and did not focus on interstate collaborative effort that was much needed. The response in itself was highly relief centric and with memory fading, rehabilitation work that is sustainable, disaster resilient, livelihood focussed and based on community participation and equity did not take priority. These insights are inherent flaws in the disaster management institutions that are siloed and without the much needed synergies across different governments departments and people. Teesta Disaster 2023 cannot be just looked at from a relief and rehabilitation lens; it is a socio-ecological restorative, justice and equity issue that goes beyond departmental and political boundaries. This cannot be done just at the local level but requires policy and adequate resource allocations.

Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative and Save the Hills led by Wing Commander Praful Rao, in three memorandums (2023 to 2024) had called on the need for an expert committee that recommends short, medium and long term action for resilience building and implementation of these interventions with utmost priority. They seem to have fallen to deaf ears as the Teesta still flows way above the danger marks, communication infrastructure keeps breaking and landslides keep occurring across the landscape with communities impacted by it constantly with immediate relief or bandaid interventions the priority.

The Teesta Disaster 2023 must not fade away from our memories, we need to proactively engage with it and incorporate them in our development strategies that makes our landscape and communities more resilient. It cannot be relegated to a 2023 history only, as disasters in our region cannot be looked at from a singular timeline but a continuum that cascades with lessons to be learnt from. The Teesta had risen in rage in October 1968 too and could rise up once again as the South Lonak Lake, and many other glacial lakes are still expanding. We cannot afford once again to say that scientists and experts had predicted the GLOF and not take any action. It is critically important to take this forward as a sustainable mountain development issue that questions how infrastructure is built in the mountains, especially large dams and roads. National policies, practices and resource allocation to the Himalaya have to be sensitive and appropriate to the importance and fragility of our landscapes. Engagement at a transboundary landscape level that goes beyond administrative, political and bureaucratic boundaries for collaborative visioning and planning is much needed. Ensuring loss and damage is minimal in the future and most importantly our interventions in the Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalaya must be such that they do not invite disasters. We might forget the Teesta Disaster 2023 but Teesta never forgets and the choice and responsibility is ours.

Writes – Roshan Rai. Development Worker at DLR Prerna, Secretary Integrated Mountain Initiative and Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative and member Zero Waste Himalaya.

The post Lest We Forget – The Teesta Disaster, 4 October 2023 appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Save Teetsa – Petition for proter scientific re-examination and democratic decision-making regarding the Fate of Teesta-3 HEP in Sikkim

The Teesta is a unique glacier-fed river that flows through the ancient, spiritually significant and deeply religious landscapes of Sikkim. The cascade of river dams consecutively constructed along the Teesta basin had fueled fear and foreboding for the people of Sikkim. In Dzongu, the Lepchas had opposed the desecration of their sacred land for many years. For decades, scientists had questioned the wisdom of siting major river-valley hydroelectric projects near glacial lakes in the Himalayan region. They warned that glacial flooding someday could result in catastrophic water release, triggering a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), with devastating consequences even for regions located hundreds of kilometres downstream.

South Lhonak lake which feeds the Teesta is among the largest, fastest-expanding, and hence most hazardous lakes in Sikkim. The potential of this lake to cause widespread devastation downstream in the event of a GLOF had been noted by scientists long before the glacial-catastrophe of 3^rd October 2023. The fears expressed related to the incalculable harm that would be done to the fragile ecosystem, and also to the unique cultural fabric that had welded society together in this protected and highly vulnerable Himalaya region.

GLOFs that involve complex and cascading multi-hazard processes are fast becoming evident across steeply mountainous Holarctic regions like the Himalaya. Already reeling from the combined impact of climate change and rapid melting of glaciers, the occurrence of another GLOF event in the region is inevitable. Then ultimately, as the pattern of precipitation changes, our mountain rivers will dry up, severely impacting agriculture. habitation and drinking-water accessibility, and threatening the long-term survival of human beings and other living species, as well as the natural world.

When on 3^rd October 2023, South Lhonak lake in Sikkim burst its banks because of the collapse, which toppled frozen lateral moraine measuring 14.7 million cu. m., into the water, thus raised a tsunami-like wave measuring 20 metres in height.

The predicted multi-hazard catastrophe was triggered as about 50 million cu. m. of water drained out from the breach. The result was unprecedented and catastrophic devastation, as an estimated 270 million cu. m. of sediment flowed out, resulting in massive infrastructure destruction including hydropower installations along the Teesta River.

Innumerable lives were lost, and many more persons went missing. State and private properties were damaged. The flood washed away the 1200 MW Teesta III Chungthang Dam located 55 km downstream of the lake, and damaged several other hydropower dams further down on the Teesta River

It wasn’t only Sikkim that was hit hard. The South Lhonak Lake outburst had cataclysmic outcomes downstream in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, and Sub-Himalayan Bengal, all the way down to the where the Teesta meets and merges into the Brahmaputra River in northern Bangladesh.

Despite the warnings we received from the 2023 experience, now in January 2025, the Union Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on River Valley Projects has given its approval to resume construction of the 1200 MW Teesta III hydroelectric project.

We note, with enormous concern, that,

• The EAC has given approval without any fresh environment impact assessments, public hearings, and fresh appraisals.
• The EAC has ignored and not resolved the issues raised about this project at the earlier meetings. With this decision being made in such an unscientific and undemocratic manner, we are likely to see the catastrophe repeated all over again, possibly with even greater devastation than hitherto seen. In an already challenged environment, this has grave implications for our mountains, our rivers and our people, and also for those living in areas lying far beyond.

This year, 2025, has been declared the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in collaboration with UNESCO. The effort must be focused on preserving our glaciers and their Holarctic environment in the midst of the fast-advancing effects of global warming and climate change.

We demand an immediate halt of the Chungthang Dam Project, along with all activities which further endanger our fragile environment, threatening lives and property, with brazen disregard for scientific prudence and democratic decision-making processes, including the free and prior informed consent of the people of Sikkim.

Please SIGN THE PETITION: https://www.change.org/p/save-our-rivers-the-sikkim-petition

WRITES: Debabrata Laifungbam

The post SAVE TEESTA! SAVE OUR RIVERS! SAVE OUR GLACIERS! SAVE OURSELVES! appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Well, not all step mothers are evil and cruel as depicted in fairy tales- I had one and she was an angel so I am skeptical about using this term but for want of a better one I am forced to use it. But, yes, the fact is that the Darjeeling Hills have, more often than not, been left stranded with a begging bowl in hand, even as other much more affluent communities and geographical locations have walked away with the entire apple pie while we were left licking the backside of the bowl.

The all too familiar story has repeated itself once again in the National Budget that our Finance Minister just announced in Parliament a few days back. Forget the rest of the budget, which in any case, in my opinion is another kick in the face of the already crippled middle class in India, and let us just focus on the flood relief allotments that the respected FM has announced.

She announced a whopping Rs. 11,500 crores for flood control measures in Bihar while also allotting undisclosed amounts to Uttarakhand, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. While we have no reasons to envy the States which have benefited from the generosity of the Finance Minister we definitely have to feel aggrieved about not receiving a penny despite the total destruction and mayhem that our region experienced after the 4th October GLOF. While the GLOF that took place can be attributed to an ACT OF GOD (some may dispute this) what is happening now, definitely has negligence, callousness, insensitivity, discrimination, partisanship and maltreatment written all over it. It is as though, we who live in this part of the world are second grade citizens of this land.

I wonder why this discrimination??? Darjeeling has given the BJP representation in the Parliament several times over, we have given them MLAs in two of the three Hill seats, we have given them Panchayat seats in the last elections- what else do they need for them to realize that we too deserve some attention? Or have the powers that be, who decide policies in the central level, not been informed that scores of houses have been wash away in the last few months, the NH 10 has been closed for the last 26 days now, the river is flowing on the highway in several places, the Teesta bed has risen by almost 20 feet and that life as such for people living along the Teesta is one which has turned to hell.

Had the Central budget even allotted a small percentage of the amount that it allotted to Bihar (Rs. 11500 crores) we would have not felt we are Kanchi ama to choras.

Frankly at the moment we feel unwanted, uncared, neglected, ignored and abandoned.

No wonder we want a separate state for ourselves.

The post Kanchi Ama ko Chora appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Appreciating their efforts, Kalimpong SP Aparajita Rai, who is herself a daughter of the hills of Sikkim, sponsored a threee day training program conducted by the International Technical Rescue Association (ITRA), for them. ITRA is a USA based non-profit association, established by technical rescue practitioners for technical rescue practitioners. They provide global recognition of technical rescue practitioners including instructors.

The course, Swiftwater Responder Course is a highly sought-after course by life-savers across the world. The course comprises of various modules that train rescuers in various avenues of rescuing people from a fast flowing river. Please note that, we don’t have any such courses in our region, and the Teesta Rangeet Rescue Centre volunteers are probably the first trained rescuers from Darjeeling-Sikkim region.

The training was undertaken in Marsyangdi River in Nepal, under the trainer Vishnu Gurung, an international expert in Swiftwater Resuce and Response.

From our region, three individuals had been selected Sajan Dukpa, Sagar Basor, and Sangdup Sherpa. The trainees were taught various techniques related to rescuing people from the river, use of various boats and equipments, and technical knowledge for planning and conducting resuce operations in the river.

Corresponding with TheDC, Ms. Shanti Rai of the TRRC said, “I am so thankful to SP Aparajita Madam, who recognized the work we were doing, and the need for training. Without her personal initiative and help, we would have not been aware of such useful course.”

“I am so grateful to the instructor Vishnu Gurung ji who himself spent hours in the river to train our volunteers. While many others may have felt more comfortable teaching from the sidelines, Vishnu Sir was so hands-on. It was great to see an expert imparting their knowledge in such a practical manner” Shanti added.

It might be reminded that volunteers from the Teesta Rangeet Rescue Centre played a vital role in rescuing people during the recent Teesta Flashfloods, and any support to them is a support to humanity.

We thank SP Kalimpong Aparajita Ma’am, and thank her for taking the personal initiative to help our brave rescuers. We hope other government officials too take an inspiration from your dedication in ensuring a better Kalimpong and Darjeeling region.

The post Teesta Rangeet Rescue Volunteers Get Specialised International Training appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The phenomenal growth of Indian economy started from 1991-92, when the then Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh accepting the doctrine of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG) opened Indian economy, for freer and less restrictive trade with the rest of the world.

Since then, India has come a long way and it is one of the fastest developing economies in the world today. Keeping in view the rapidly growing Indian economy, the significance and importance of hydro-development is immense. And not wanting to be left out, the Indian government aided by foreign direct investments (FDIs) has immersed itself in the hasty development of hydro projects across India.

The main focus of hydro development in India is North and North-Eastern states, be it the Tehri district in Uttaranchal, Subansiri in Arunachal or Kalijhora in Darjeeling; the 21st century hydro development has begun in earnest. The potential for hydro development in India as proposed by the government is immense and a modest estimate of the same has been assessed at 84,044 MW at 60 per cent load factor – if about 148,000 MW is the installed capacity. The North and North Eastern regions contain the lion’s share of this, with 54,000 and 59,000 MW respectively. Incidentally, the proposed hydro electric generation plans far exceed India’s current production capacity, which stands at around 40,000 MW, which has been achieved over a period of 60 years after India gained independence.

  

The River

Teesta is a perennial river fed by the both rain and snow-fed lake. It originates in the Himalayas from Cholamu (Tso Lhamu) Lake in Sikkim at an elevation of around 6,200 mts above the sea level and travels roughly around 415 kms before merging into the Bay of Bengal. This rapid descent of the river over a very short distance makes Teesta one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world. The slope of the river varies between 4 to 35m/km. and the velocity is about 6 m/second. The river basin is permanently covered by snow and spreads around 160 sq. kms.

Besides this, owing to the lush green watershed area, Teesta receives huge amount of additional water through rainfall. On an average total annual rainfall in the Teesta catchment area varies between 1975-2250 mm, which puts it next to Cherapunji in terms of the areas receiving highest amount of annual rainfall (in India). Besides this, the entire Himalayan region (through which Teesta flows) is deemed tectonically unstable and the entire Eastern-Himalayan region falls under seismic zone IV and V, which is rated as the areas that have high and highest earthquake occurrence chances respectively.

The rapid growth of population aided by infrastructural development and growth in forestry related activities (including logging) in the Eastern-Himalayan region has resulted in huge amount deforestation in recent years. As a result, there has been drastic change in the rainwater absorbing capacity of the soil, and scientists/locals working in the area have witnessed more run-off of rainwater as compared to past decade. This has lead to colossal amount of sediments being discharged in the river. The Teesta basin is now one of the most landslide prone areas of the country, contributing a huge sediment load to the river. According to an academic paper written by Dr. Kalyan Rudra “…the mean annual discharge of the Teesta at Anderson Bridge is about 580 cumecs (cubic meter per second) and it declines to 90 cumecs in the lean months. The peak discharge may be as much as 4,000-5,000 cumecs…”

Teesta is a part of the eastern Himalayan complex, which has been declared a biodiversity hotspot by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This whole region is endowed with rich biodiversity and is home to numerous indigenous species of the region.

The Dam

The National Hydro electric Power Corporation (NHPC) proposes to establish a staggering twenty seven hydro power stations in Sikkim and Darjeeling.  

Source: Dept of Power and Energy Govt of Sikkim in Sikkim’s Teesta River by Avilash Raul
Note: Teesta stage III and IV are located in Darjeeling

NHPC claims that the dams being built along Teesta in Sikkim and Darjeeling are ‘low and run-of-the-river dams’. However, both the dams being built in Darjeeling, Teesta stage-III at Samco ropeway and stage-IV at Coronation Bridge are technically large dams as both are 15 meters in height. International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) criteria for a large dam is anything above 15 m. in height. Further, the ICOLD also considers dams between 5-15 m. with a storage capacity of more than three million cubic meters to be large dams, which encompasses the dams being built across Sikkim. Thus, NHPC is trying to mislead the general public by classifying these projects as ‘run-of-the-river’.

The Damned

The construction, operation and output of dams have diverse social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts, which are complex to begin with and can get further complicated if handled improperly. The NHPC has a very dismal record in terms of dealing with local people while undertaking various projects. Numerous people across India have been displaced without proper rehabilitation or re-settlement plans. These people are now considered Internally Displaced Refugees (IDRs). The projected Teesta and other dams are bound to produce large scale displacement of local people and NHPC lacks any concrete plans to resettle them. For instance, the Kalijhora which houses over 115 families will submerge due to the stage IV reservoir, yet NHPC is silent about any rehabilitation programme.

The cultural impacts of the dam constructions are immense. Imagine a situation where the locals are merely 300 individuals and more than 600 individuals come from outside to construct and operate the dam. Inundated by something exotic, the locals are bound to be influenced and may end up loosing their culture and lifestyle altogether in the long run. Further, some of the areas where dams have been proposed are protected under Article 371 of the Indian constitution, in order to protect these areas from outside influence; however, this does not seem applicable to dam proponents.

Majority of the people living in these areas have always lived sustainably and they are not yet exposed to many diseases. The chances of the locals acquiring diseases like AIDS, Cancer, and Tuberculosis are multiplied significantly with increase in the number of outsiders visiting these areas.

It is significant that Sikkim is home to Lepchas “the vanishing tribe” and the protection of their culture, language and heritage is of utmost significance, which will be seriously threatened if the Government of Sikkim allows the proposed dams to be constructed. The Lepchas and environmentally conscious people in the region have taken out rallies and gone on record hunger strikes (over 275 days and counting) to generate national and international attention to their plight, but compartmentalization of press has prevented this issue from gaining any national or international significance.

The next biggest looser will be the environment. NHPC has completely ignored the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) criterion, it did not conduct proper studies and decisions regarding dam construction were made long before the environmental clearance was given by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). For instance, the stage III and IV reservoirs will submerge 156.41 ha and 359.89 ha of forest respectively, which is home to many indigenous floral and faunal species. However, NHPC merely hints this fact and calls it unavoidable.

NHPC has grossly violated the EIA norms and the studies it has undertaken has been merely to fulfill the formality, thus they are incomplete and inadequate. In many instances, locals have been threatened and cajoled for speaking against NHPC or the dams. In many instances, the public hearings have been undertaken in areas far away from the actual dam sites and notices have not been given on time and there have been instances when the ES (executive summary) have not been provided in local language (Nepali).

The average lifespan of these dams are 50 years and less depending on the amount of siltation. As stated above Teesta has massive siltation level, thus it is certain that the siltation level of the river will raise staggeringly with the construction of a series of dams and the sediment load will be trapped within the reservoirs, reducing their production capacity. This, in turn, could compel dam managers to release water during heavy rainfall, causing sudden flash floods downstream. Further, the NHPC has failed to undertake the study on the cascading effects of Dams (i.e. in case of dam breaking at the top what will happen to subsequent dams), which is likely to occur in coming days.

On June 25, 2006 a temporary Bailey bridge had collapsed at Stage-III site near Rambhi. Seven workers had died and 17 were feared dead due to that accident. On July 17, 2007 a minor breach in embankment at nearby Kalijhora had swept away machineries. This year it’s just the beginning of monsoon and the dam reservoir retention wall in Dikchu (stage-V) has been washed away, causing widespread fear and panic among the local residents of landslide and flood. A local daily aptly put it “…This recent disaster shows that NHPC has been following its policy of sailing sans social responsibility that has time and again put the lives of workers and adjacent population in danger… [while] paying no heed to geological & hydrological risks.”

The proponents of hydro development in India are more often than not backed by Multi-National Companies (MNCs) whose main objective is to earn as much profit as possible, without any consideration for factors such as environment, people, resources, culture or traditions.  Damming Teesta along with other projects as proposed by NHPC are bound to fail, as these projects are highly unrealistic and many ground rules have been ignored and over looked to get the projects going. However, the projects are underway and it is going to cause large scale damage to both human life and natural ambiance of the entire Eastern Himalayan region, if necessary steps are not taken to check the damage being done by NHPC.

The government of Sikkim and West Bengal cite development as the incentive for exploiting our rivers, but they fail to answer development for whom? The paradigm of development as such is “dead as dodo.” In an era where world over people are hankering for sustainable development, our politician still seems to be transfixed by the idea of development.

One question that I always contemplate was asked by my teacher Prof. Milindo Chakrabarty, “Why should the hills have to sacrifice to benefit the plains, is development substitutable?”

As such, Sikkim may gain some revenue at the end of all these projects, but what does Darjeeling and its people get? Nothing is the answer. I wonder why we are keeping mum on this issue. Why should we allow our land to be destroyed and our people to suffer when all we will get from this project is despair and destruction? It is high time we asked what are the benefits of these projects? What will we gain? Remember, people in Rammam, Darjeeling are still devoid of electricity, and that place supplies electricity to whole of North-Bengal.

Perhaps!! Bapu saw this day coming when he said… “God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism after the manner of the west… keeping the world in chains.  If [our nation] took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like locusts.”

………………………………………………..

This writer is indebted to an unknown crusader whose site www.savetheteesta.com has been a constant source of inspiration.

This writer further acknowledges the dedication of groups like Centre for Studies in Rural Economy Appropriate Technology and Environment (CREATE), North-Eastern Society for Protection of Nature (NESPON), Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Teesta Bachao Aandolan (TBA) and Delhi Forum, who have been fighting an endless war against government indifference, to save the environment, people and culture of our land.

This article was originally published on July 20,2008 in www.darjeelingtimes.com. Recent tragedy pics from Teesta Basin have been added to bring context to what the writer was trying to convey back in 2008.

The post The Dam and The Damned appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

This Toy Train, a wonder of engineering, was set up mainly to cater to the then blooming Tibet trade through Jelep-la for which Kalimpong was the most important entrepot. One can say that the existence of The Teesta Valley Branch of the DHR coincided with the golden period of Kalimpong’s past.

After the treaty of Sinchula in 1865 was signed between the British and the Bhutanese after a long period of hostility between the two, Kalimpong became a part of the British Empire. This brought in peace and stability in this region and set it on the path of development and progress. By the turn of the 20^th Century, this erstwhile small hamlet of just a few huts became a major trading center in the Sikkim-Tibet region. By the middle of the first decade of the 20^th Century, figures indicate the yearly trade of Kalimpong to be above 12,000 tons a year.  The proximity of Kalimpong to the Tibet border through the Jelep-la and its closeness to Eastern Sikkim soon made it the most important trading hub not just in the Darjeeling-Sikkim area but in the entire region. Trains of mules laden with wool and oranges would arrive in Kalimpong each day, these two products alone amounting to almost 20 tons a day. Besides these cardamom, timber and potatoes too came into Kalimpong to be forwarded to bigger markets in the plains of India and also for export.

Estimates of the revenue that would be generated through the transportation of this vast tonnage, was enough to whet the appetite of the officials of the DHR into considering a rail link between Siliguri and Kalimpong. The first whisperings to construct this rail line in 1909 threw up many skeptics but the Railway authorities in India at that time wrote in the Indian Railway Gazette.

“To the outside observer it is not quite clear that the proposal to link up Siliguri to the Teesta Bridge augurs so well, but it must doubtless promise well enough to the minds of the railway authorities, otherwise these would never have mooted the project”.

Work for Teesta Valley Branch commenced towards the end of 1912 and by 16^th of March 1914, the first 12 miles (about 19 kilometers) of rail line between Siliguri and Sevoke had been laid down. The laying down of rail lines in this section of the Teesta Valley Branch was a considerably easy one considering the level grounds and the fact that the tracks followed the old cart road which already existing there. This line commenced at the Siliguri and the DHR Extension Company, which was to be in charge of the Teesta Valley Branch, was given land free of cost by the Government for the entire project. The DHR directors agreed to put up the Rs. 3,500.00 that was required to build a new station at Siliguri which was to be the junction for the Darjeeling line and the Teesta Valley line. This new station was named Siliguri Road Station.

It was planned that the Railway track would be laid atop or follow the remains of old cart road that had been washed out by the fierce rainfall of 1899. The relentless rainfall that took place in the year 1899 was so violent that it is reported that on one particular single night the area had a rainfall of close to 28 inches. This washed away the existing road above the River Teesta in so many places that the Public Works Department had to spend an amount of Rs. 4,32,888.00 to construct a completely new road, 300 feet above the River Teesta, which was completed in the year 1909. The remains of the old road was used as the foundation on which the Teesta Valley line was laid out.

The Teesta Valley line swerved north east from the Siliguri Road Station and ran through the dense Sevoke forest area which was populated by large herds of elephants and the thick jungle around the train track was an idle habitat for tigers and black panthers as well as elephants. The Sevoke River is crossed by the Sevoke Bridge which had a span of a more than a 100 feet and the Sevoke Station lay on the far side of the bridge.

The second section of the Teesta Valley line proved much more challenging to construct due to the heavy blasting required for leveling the ground as well as due to the frequent and numerous landslides that constrained effective and speedy constructions or which repeatedly washed off constructed sections. Construction was also delayed due to the fact that the First World War disrupted the supply construction materials required to build the bridges as well as the tracks itself. This section lay between Sevoke and Reyang and measured about 17 kilometers. At Kalijhora the track crossed a girder bridge to enter the Kalijhora Station. Kalijhora, at those times, was a dingy village of about fifteen huts which stood opposite the Kalijhora Station. The tracts then ran parallel to the swift flowing river below at a height of, in many places, less than 50 feet from the river, till it entered the Reyang Station. Due to the steepness of the land on which the Reyang Station stood, the tracks had to make three tight sweeping curves to finally enter the Reyang Station. At the Reyang, tons of bark of the cinchona tree could be seen stocked around the station for transportation along with scores of drums holding crude petroleum which was used for the production of Quinine. This section was opened for operations on 1^st May 1915.

The third section of the Teesta Valley line was between Reyang Station and Giel Khola or the Kalimpong Road Station.  The tracks ran on a narrow ledge atop the swift flowing river for a distance of about six or seven kilometers before entering the terminus of Kalimpong Road Station. Construction in this section proved to be the biggest challenge for the Engineers considering the fact that the gradient of this section was steeper and the valley narrower. The walls on the sides of Giel Khola had to be built almost 10 feet deep and 20 feet thick so as to hold out against the swift flowing rivulet. Tracks to the Kalimpong Road Station were finally completed on the 29^th of September 1915.

The Kalimpong Road Station was about 2.5 kilometers before the then existing suspension bridge over the River Teesta. This place is what we know as Giel Khola in present times. At those times Giel Khola was an obscure little hamlet far short of what could be described as a rail head of any kind.

The original far-fetched plan was to extend the line up to Gangtok with stations at Mellie, TarKhola, Rangpu, Sunkokhola and other places. A survey made in the winter of 1917-1918 mooted bridging the Teesta River at a point just before the confluence of the River Teesta and Rangeet for the Railway line. Ultimately due to construction difficulties, the tracks could not move beyond Giel Khola and it became the terminus of the Teesta Valley line and was named as the Kalimpong Road Station.

The Teesta Valley line continued serving the area after Independence but the torrential rains that took place in the year 1950 washed away large portions of the tracks in several places. The recently independent India did not have the financial resources to repair and renovate the damaged rail lines. Despite protests by the locals, the newly installed Government of Independent India turned a deaf ear to all demands and the Teesta Valley line died an untimely death.

The post The Teesta Valley Branch of the DHR appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Raju Bista highlighted the issues of how the construction of dams in the mountains varies from the ones built in the plains. He said in Lok Sabha, “Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars region fall under seismic zone 4, but during the Congress government, approval was given to build 27 dams in the region. Out of which, 4 have already been constructed on river Teesta.”

Today, I highlighted the issue of Cascading Effects of unplanned Dam construction on River Teesta.@mowrrdgr @JalShaktiAbhyan @narendramodi @gssjodhpur @PMOIndia @BJP4Bengal #Darjeeling pic.twitter.com/ZCNIJ8fo0v

— Raju Bista (@RajuBistaBJP) August 2, 2019

He further added, “I want to inform you that dams built in the hills carry a higher risk than the dams constructed in the plains, if one dam breaks at the top, it can wash away all other dams, and poses a grave danger to human lives. So I want to ask the minister what are his thoughts on the dams on Teesta river, and people who have suffered due to all those dams that have been constructed till now, haven’t received full compensation. Is the government doing anything in this regard?”

This article was originally posted here.

The post Darjeeling MP Raju Bista rakes up Dam issue over River Teesta appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

My thoughts wandered as I crossed the gigantic living root bridges naturally self-renewing and self-sustaining of the Khasi hills bearing the weight of million tourist, furious foams of waterfalls cascading through the hard crop of granitic rocks almost swallowing us harmlessly. The storm thundered roared as we ventured forth through the exotic sacred forest we had to be a part of rain God and Goddesses the natives narrated and if we dared to pluck or touch any flora or fauna the wrath of God would be on us. It’s not less than going through our forest the only difference we don’t find woodcutters, poachers, looters nor the hierarchy of bureaucrats, it’s the village community that manages. At the end of the trekking, we entered a small shack where the women served two or three spoonfuls of rice and one chokta sungur ko masu and jhol which would be our chakney only tester an economy where once the monsoon is over Cherrapunji becomes a desert.

God of small things, 4ft 9 inch average height smiling people cut off from the rest of the world , two-room house like our own washrooms,surviving in the harsh climatic monsoon and winter desert on the stony rocks of the Eastern Himalayas have contributed in the preservation conservation and sustainable development of the Natural Biodiversity in India where tourist flock to seethe pristine Nature untainted. Thank heaven their tribal status and elite ignorance with innate environmental culture have saved them from the fiends. Be it the cleanest village in Asia, or the crystal clear blue waters of dwaki or the immaculate 7 sisters waterfalls, cradled in the warmth of the communion of their identity, ownership to the soil of their belongingness.

That draws me back home, in fact, we’re more endowed with Nature’s Gift subtropical and temperate climate for any crops, floriculture, tea gardens, tourism, hub of education with the view of Kanchenjunga anywhere and everywhere, no doubt political cliché erosion is evident but what about our social righteousness of belongings to our place, environmental preservation conservation and protection. National geography declared Mawlynnong as the cleanest village in Asia and we’ve been rated as the dirtiest city. Every time we pass the Teesta NHPC is cursed, but at its inception how many of us were aware of the( Environmental Assessment Impact ). I remember arguing with my retired professor from N.B.U was then the president of West Bengal Environment Manch and reminding him of having more than 9 or 10 faultlines across the River Teesta to Coronation Bridge and that the Dam would be a time bombshell for the hills.

Truth is always bitter but the consequence irreparable, and cannot be the wisest out of the fools L.O.L I intend to drive you with the flippant side of the Monsoon blues. If you google you are notified with a ring..” on Monsoon blues ..Carry the most colourful umbrella, have hot coffee or soup, invite your friends for dinner and we’ ll waltz with the blues, beat the monsoon with skincare, foot care, hair care bla bla “

Well, I hope you won’t take it amiss if I leave you with some notification on Monsoon blues for now and the next ..next..maybe if there’s next…

1. Dig the base floor of your building to see the concretized plastics blocking the drains and pipes running under you before it kills millions.
2. Measure the veranda of your houses every year for they have extended an inch or so remember we are living in a gelatin subterranean region of pyritic rocks that get dissolved with the rain.
3. Train yourself to disaster management, its included in the West Bengal Syllabus, wise are they, at least their sympathy is with us
4. Don’t ever travel the N.H 31A during monsoon, better mortgage all your high-rise to buy helicopters, what about another chapter of fresh Julus demand for aerial routes I warn you our soil is too fragile for alternative route be it rail or motor.
5. Don’t worship Teesta for its murky, slimy killed by atrocity.
6. Most importantly carry the umbrella of responsibility and accountability.

I Pause but there’s no End….till the next monsoon if there is.

Writes: Theckla Dhakal

The post Monsoon Blues appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

This is her story

Brief Bio

Name: Shanti Rai
Ama: Baishamaya Rai 
Baba: Sundal Rai 
School: Rangpo Primary School 
H.S: Mining, near FCI Godown 
Working as: Lead guide and rescuer – GTA Tourism, Teesta 

TheDC: Can you tell us about your growing up days, how were you as a child?

Shanti: I loved the outdoors, I still do. I cannot imagine a life sitting in an office, I need to be outside. Right from my childhood, I used to be a very active child, I participated in all the athletic events in school – 100mts, 200mts, Javelin, Discuss throw – everything – and would invariably always come first. I was also a district level football player in the age groups of 16-17. When National Games were organized in Sikkim in 1999-2000, I participated in 100mts race and marathon.

Let’s put it this way, anything that would get me out in the open, I would participate in it. I couldn’t even sit in the class, I used to feel restless.

TheDC: Your love for Teesta is apparent for everyone to see, how did the relationship begin?

Shanti: I was born in her lap, so obviously she is like a mother to me. I honestly don’t remember when I started to play in the river, but that is where I actually felt at home. Right from my childhood, I would try and cross rivers, many a times smaller rivers (khola) would wash me away, but I managed to crawl back. These rivers are also like siblings for me, I grew up playing with them.

TheDC: Teesta is (or sadly was ) one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world, when did you first cross Teesta?

Shanti: I remember it like yesterday; the sense of achievement I felt that day. Imagine growing up with Teesta flowing outside your window, and that urge from deep within, a challenge of sorts since you learn to swim, that no other tests of your skills will do, the only way to know you have learned swimming is if you cross Teesta and her raging currents. I was only 16-yrs-old when I was able to cross her. Mama ko chora ra ek jana sathi pani thyo (she conspiratorially adds).

At the other bank Bel (Bengal quince) pakeko hunthyo – so we crossed to get some.

But what a day it was.

TheDC: How did you get into rafting?

Shanti: See when you grow up next to a river, the river becomes a huge part of your life. As kids, we would get on a tube at Rangpo and float down to our village – Tarkhola. Later we would see the raft, and once a raft came closer to our village we would swim and touch it.

In 1997 a Tashila Bridge Tourism Festival was held in Sikkim, and they had organized a rafting competition, I observed the rafts and at night I crossed the river alone using an oar boat. When my brother found out the next day he was very upset and angry, but I could tell he felt proud of me.

So from then on, whenever they would raft, they started to take me as a helper. Once was enough, I was hooked to rafting. All I wanted to do was ride the raft, I didn’t mind being a helper.

In 2000, Tashila Rafting Competition, I came 3^rd, I was the only female in my group. It felt incredible. I was offered a job as lead rafting guide.

TheDC: Did rafting and rescuing go together? How did you get involved with rescuing?

Shanti: In August 20005, I had gone to Malli as my Cousin sister had died, and was travelling back, and we got caught in a traffic jam. When we reached the spot, we realized a vehicle had plunged down into the river, and someone was trying to find a way to reach the vehicle. The vehicle was stuck in what is known as “boiling AD,” the water was rushing from all sides.

When I saw the situation, I didn’t think much. I just grabbed the rope and went down. I first rescued one individual, later we made a human-chain and helped rescue a child, then I jumped into the river to rescue a woman, then took one to the roof of the vehicle. Tragically one youth had tried to swim before I could reach him, and he drowned. We were able to rescue the rest. After that I went home.

Later the word spread raicha and many organizations from Rangpo to Kalimpong honoured my efforts with Life Saver’s Award. I wasn’t expecting that, but that’s how my journey as a rescuer began, it was a spurt of the moment thing.

Later when NHPC bridge was washed away due to the raising river, many people were washed away, a few were stuck in an island in the river, we initiated the rescue efforts at around 7 AM and it went on till 11 PM –that day we rescued 250 people.

So it continued like that.

I am the Founder and president of Teesta Rangeet Rescue Centre, and we rescue people along Teesta.

TheDC: Rafters from Teesta have travelled as far as Bihar for rescuing, tell us about it

Shanti: Bihar was flooded and widespread death was being reported. Rafting experts from Teesta decided to form a team and go help the people there. But when my seniors told me not to go as I was a woman, I felt like crying. But I was adamant that I would join the team. Eventually they relented, and we ended up rescuing over 1200 people in Bihar.

TheDC: Let’s talk about Teesta, how has it changed in your lifetime?

Shanti: Please don’t even get me started. I feel terrible these days. Teesta is no more the same. It breaks my heart, earlier she was free, today we can see her being caged. But we cannot do anything. I feel so hopeless.

TheDC: How has that effected rafting in Teesta

Shanti: These dams have changed our river. It has become so unpredictable. The rapids have changed due to the river constantly rising or slowing down.

From the dams, they release the water without any intimation, earlier we knew the rapids, now we don’t.

People enjoying a leisurely day at Beni (where Teesta and Rangeet meet) have been washed away as the river came gushing down after the dams released the water without intimation.

When tourists come, we take the tourist to the river, and when the river is low, we try to kill the time. But experienced tourists are unhappy. Earlier tourists would see rafts floating down the river and they would want to experience the same. Today the road and the river have diverged, tourists willing to try rafting have drastically declined.

All we can do is hope for a better system to be put in place when the dams release their water so that tourist experiences and safety is not compromised with.

TheDC: What are your thoughts on more female rafters?

Shanti: Honestly, I feel like more woman should join, but due to the lack of training, they don’t join. Teesta is not a swimming pool. I have spent my entire life next to her, I learned swimming with her, I learned boating, and then rafting with her. It took a lot of hard work and patience for me to become a certified rafter and rescuer. Having said that, there is always someone willing to teach to those who actually want to learn the skills.

TheDC: Any message to the youngsters, especially those female youths who may be reading this?

Shanti: I fully support those youths who are charting their own course, not listening to what people or the society says about them.

To the young girls out there – be good, we can do everything, we can help others, learn skills, it will help if you help others.

In addition to her rafting and rescuing adventures, Shanti is a football coach too, and currently she is training around 20 children under her. She also trains them swimming.

We wish Ms. Shanti Rai Good Luck in her journey forward, and thank her for being such an inspiration. She has truly proven, there is no limit – one can achieve anything one puts their hearts in.

Anyone who wants to reach out to her, she is usually found rafting from Labarbotey to Malli Bazar. She can be contacted through GTA Tourism Way Side Inn near Chitrey, Teesta.

The post Shanti Rai – The First Female Rafting and Rescuing Expert From Darjeeling appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

I have won and I have won big, I do not remember what the competition was or against whom, but that was the feeling that I got after listening to the latest release by Bipul – the enigmatic phenomenon from our Darjeeling Himalayas.

The sounds of Tungna – a traditional instrument reverberating in reverence to the mighty mother that we – the people have always referred to as Tista Mai or Mother Teesta did something much more than entertain my ears. The song reminded me of a long lost memory of me and my brother going for a Swim at the Dobhan on hot summer days in my village back in the mountains.

The Marchunga with its tyaou tyaou jerks me back to a wakefulness that I had long forgotten. Like a Jhyakri – Shaman waking to his state of trance, the tyaou tyaou of the Marchunga draws every listener into the deeper depths of human celebration of the joy, that we know as Life.

For me moments of monotonous repetitive news of vote and election and winner and loser and police and torture all is drowned by the sounds of the song which break with the lyrical word “Geet Bani aayou…”

Gorkhalis of Darjeeling have always been great lovers of music, from a child’s birth – right upto one’s old age there are songs to suit each and every age group, describing each. Like Budi ma Jati Sabailai the Tamang selo which teases younger girls by referring to the singers respectful fondness of the older women. This “Collective” that we today refer to as the Gorkhalis of Darjeeling have all been described in one word by Bipul’s lyrics “Geet”. This one word encapsulates all of that collective of songs and this community’s love for Music.  Phiroj Syangden to Adrian to Mantra of the new to the Steam Injuns of the mid, and also the Ambar Gurungs of the old.  This community’s love for music is unquestionable, and Bipul’s new song celebrates that love for me. 

The Damphu at the beginning to the Sherpa Beats which accompany the drums all jostlethe essence of the hardships of life, not just due to the geography of our region, but also celebrates the People and their culture engaged in that space.

The mountain tops of Sandakphu, to the sharp ridges of Kurseong, to the valley below the Badarey Bhir of Kaleybung all resounds in the beats of the Damphu and drums of this song.

Maadal and Sarangi the duo which do not exist without each other like the original “Teesta Rangeet” Also come up in the lyrics and are the accompaniment to the dancers, who sway in the banks of the river Teesta itself.

Here I remember the numerous hill belles who have entertained generations of us with their graceful Sorathi, Maruni, and other dances during the festivals of Dashain and Tihar. 

Staying in Kolkata for the last decade has taught me many things, but the most important of all of the life lessons that any city has offered me is the love and respect one should have for one’s own Land. 

“Geet bani aayou…” seems such a powerful tribute to something that has been with us not just in our happiness but also sadness.  Every person from the Hills will realise instantly that in life they have at least once gone to the banks of the river for a family picnic or to also wash down the Aasthu of the loved ones who have passed away.

That alone should tell us the relationship that Teesta river has with each and every one of us.

Bipul’s song Teesta is a celebration of Life and all of the possibilities which the hills of Darjeeling, Kaleybung and Kurseong offer us.

All we need to do is, cherish it, care for it, and conserve it for the generations ahead.

Why was Teesta written? Here’s Bipul’s explanation

‘For most of who have grown up on the hills that flank the river Teesta, she has been more than a collection of whirlpools and rapids. When friends and family who gathered to bid us farewell became tiny specks in the rear view mirror, the Teesta moved alongside all the way down to the plains. And when we returned, months or years later, she would be the first to welcome us home – gurgling, jumping and skipping like a young sibling who had missed us more than we missed her.

Sadly, unable to withstand the onslaught of progress of the recent years, the grand old lady isn’t what she used to be. More than half a dozen hydroelectric dams have reduced what was once a swift flowing Himalayan river into mere intervals of lifeless water bodies.

This song has been written in praise of the beauty she once was. Which our children may never ever see again. “

People behind Bipul Chettri’s Teesta

BIPUL CHETTRI - Composition, Arrangement, Lyrics, Vocals, Guitars 
 PRANAI GURUNG - Guitars 
RAHUL RAI - Bass 
ACHINT (SHIVAM) KHARE - Keys,  Synths 
AMAN SINGH RATHORE - Drums, Percussions 
KIRAN NEPALI - Sarangi,  Tungna, Backing Vocals 
PRINCE NEPALI - Sarangi 
BEJJANKI V. RAVI KIRAN -  Murchunga 
SONAM TASHI, BINAYA MAN AMATYA - Backing Vocals 

Recording,  Mixing, Mastering  - Anindo Bose (Plug 'N' Play Studios)
Recording -  Gaurav Chintamani (Quarter Note Studios) 
Prince Sarangi Recordings -  Binaya Man Amatya 
Producer - Bipul Chettri 
Executive Producer  - Sonam  Tashi 

Camera - Labesh Shrestha, Praveen Chettri, Rubin Pradhan, 
Pexel,  Sonam Tashi, Lhadup Moktan. 
Drone - Prytomb Shakya, Anup Sapkota.  
Editing - Sonam Tashi. 
Artwork - Manohar Rai.   

You can BUY the song online at:

OkListen – http://tiny.cc/30gj6y
Spotify – http://tiny.cc/xsgj6y
iTunes – http://tiny.cc/dxgj6y
Amazon Music – http://tiny.cc/0ygj6y
Google Music – http://tiny.cc/j0gj6y
YouTube – http://tiny.cc/x1gj6y
Saavn – http://tiny.cc/q3gj6y

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