Heavy Monsoon rains block Gangtok-Sevoke national highway

The sub-Himalayan West Bengal region is a high impact weather event pocket and is vulnerable to small triggers. This area frequently receives heavy rain as a result of multiple weather systems that pass through the area. Even a small trigger can further escalate and give heavy rain over the area bringing normal life to a standstill.

Heavy rains result in landslide which completely hamper road connectivity. The National Highway 10, previously known as the NH 31A has been blocked due to heavy rain in the sub-Himalayan region. The highway links Gangtok to Sevoke and is located 92 km off Kalimpong. Sevoke lies near Siliguri and the latter is popularly known as the gateway to Sikkim.

In a span of 24 hours from 8:30 am on Sunday, Darjeeling received 114 mm of rain. However, there was an improvement on Monday with the city recording 15 mm of rain. Also, Sikkim has been receiving moderate to heavy showers. Due to the weather activity over this region, the National Highway has been closed which means that Gangtok remains cut off from Kalimpong and Kolkata.

Restoration is in progress and rescue teams are clearing the area. However, more rain is expected in the next 2 days which may cause hindrance in the restoration process.

Image Credit: marginalmatters.com