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<p>Between 2 and 5 October 1968, the Darjeeling Himalaya experienced catastrophic floods and widespread landslides, representing one of the most severe disasters in the region’s recorded history. After 57&#xa0;years, during the same month and dates, the region again faced a major extreme event driven by torrential rainfall and extensive slope failures. Although the recent rainfall episode was shorter than the 1968 event, it was exceptionally intense, with approximately 250–400&#xa0;mm recorded within 24&#xa0;h. The impacts included rapid landslides, debris-laden flash floods, bridge failures, and severe disruption of transport connectivity. This study aims to provide a comprehensive preliminary report on the recent landslides and flash floods affecting the Rangbhang Basin, Darjeeling Himalaya. First, a landslide inventory database was prepared using PlanetScope imagery and field surveys. The relationships between landslide occurrence and key topographic factors were then assessed. Subsequently, the disaster impacts were examined through two representative case studies: the Seeyok debris flow and the Taba Koshi flash flood. The study also synthesises key lessons emerging from the event. Results indicate that 455 landslides were newly initiated under the extreme rainfall conditions. Landslides affected more than 80&#xa0;ha of agricultural land, with tea plantations accounting for about 69% of the total impacted area. In addition, flash floods damaged five bridges and affected 106 buildings, including homestays as well as residential and commercial structures. Future work will focus on modeling landslides and flash floods as a coupled cascading process under extreme rainfall to better support integrated hazard assessment and risk reduction.</p>

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Extreme event-induced landslides and flooding in Darjeeling, 4–5 October 2025

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月31日

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  • Pritha Ghosh,
  • Somnath Bera,
  • Kshitij Dahal,
  • Raquel Melo,
  • Sachin Tamang,
  • Shivam Priyadarshi,
  • Swapan Talukdar

摘要

Between 2 and 5 October 1968, the Darjeeling Himalaya experienced catastrophic floods and widespread landslides, representing one of the most severe disasters in the region’s recorded history. After 57 years, during the same month and dates, the region again faced a major extreme event driven by torrential rainfall and extensive slope failures. Although the recent rainfall episode was shorter than the 1968 event, it was exceptionally intense, with approximately 250–400 mm recorded within 24 h. The impacts included rapid landslides, debris-laden flash floods, bridge failures, and severe disruption of transport connectivity. This study aims to provide a comprehensive preliminary report on the recent landslides and flash floods affecting the Rangbhang Basin, Darjeeling Himalaya. First, a landslide inventory database was prepared using PlanetScope imagery and field surveys. The relationships between landslide occurrence and key topographic factors were then assessed. Subsequently, the disaster impacts were examined through two representative case studies: the Seeyok debris flow and the Taba Koshi flash flood. The study also synthesises key lessons emerging from the event. Results indicate that 455 landslides were newly initiated under the extreme rainfall conditions. Landslides affected more than 80 ha of agricultural land, with tea plantations accounting for about 69% of the total impacted area. In addition, flash floods damaged five bridges and affected 106 buildings, including homestays as well as residential and commercial structures. Future work will focus on modeling landslides and flash floods as a coupled cascading process under extreme rainfall to better support integrated hazard assessment and risk reduction.