🔹 A landslide refers to the downward movement of rock, soil, or debris under the force of gravity. It is among the most frequent natural hazards in mountainous terrains worldwide.

🔹 In 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) published the Landslide Atlas of India, which documents event-based and seasonal landslides.

🔹 Roughly 12.6% of India’s geographical area (about 0.42 million sq km), excluding snow-covered regions, is prone to landslides. Data shows that 66.5% occur in the Northwestern Himalayas, 18.8% in the Northeastern Himalayas, and 14.7% in the Western Ghats.

🔹 Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) occur when large volumes of water are suddenly released from glacial lakes formed by retreating glaciers. These depressions fill with meltwater, posing serious hazards when breached.

🔹 Darjeeling, despite its scenic reputation, has a long history of natural disasters. Records show major landslides in 1899, 1934, 1950, 1968, 1975, 1980, 1991, 2011, and 2015. The 1968 event was particularly catastrophic, with floods killing over a thousand people.

🔹 The State of Environment Report 1991 (by CSE) documented nine cloudburst events in the Teesta Valley between 1902 and 1978.

🔹 Several factors have aggravated the region’s vulnerability:

1. Rising population pressure due to migration and unregulated land/property transactions.

2. Climate change impacts – rainfall, earlier spread across months, now occurs in short, intense spells.

3. Changing river and stream courses, often encroaching on human settlements.

4. Unplanned and unsustainable development projects (hydropower, railways, hotels) exert stress on the fragile ecosystem.

5. Encroachment and unauthorised settlements along natural drainage channels and riverbeds, leading to blocked water flow.

🔹 According to ISRO’s Landslide Atlas 2023, Darjeeling ranks 35th among 147 districts most at risk.

🔹 The Lhonak Lake breach in Sikkim (October 2023), which triggered a devastating GLOF, had already been flagged in the Sikkim Human Development Report 2001.

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