Flash floods, landslides devastate over 30 Darjeeling tea gardens; Rs 50 crore loss feared

Kolkata: The recent flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in north Bengal have caused massive destruction in at least 30-35 tea gardens in Darjeeling, with reports of loss of plantation areas, deaths of workers and damage to houses of labourers, prompting planters to convene a meeting to assess the situation, stakeholders said. Darjeeling tea planters are now collecting data related to damage from the gardens and will discuss various issues during a proposed meeting on Thursday, they said. Tea bushes in many gardens have been washed away, while the loss of tea-bearing land has left permanent damage to several estates, planters said. SS Bagaria, chairman of the Bagaria Group, which owns three gardens in Darjeeling, told PTI that the industry's overall loss due to heavy rain and landslides in the hills could be at least Rs 50 crore. "Heavy rain and landslides have severely hit tea gardens in the hills, with reports of loss of lives and extensive damage to property. There was no work or electricity for two to three days. However, power supply was restored on Wednesday. At least 50 per cent of 71 operational gardens in Darjeeling are severely affected," industry veteran and Chamong Tea chairman Ashok Lohia told media reporters. Roads have been severely damaged, and the government and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) are working to clear debris and rubble from the blocked roads, he said.

But the need of the hour is to make the internal roads within the estates motorable, as workers are unable to report for work, he said, adding that restoration of road connectivity is essential. He said the industry was collecting data from the ground and "a meeting has been convened for Thursday to assess the damage", he said. "The autumn production in October- November, which accounts for 15 per cent of the annual output, is now in balance, and the loss will be severe if the road communication is not restored at the earliest," Lohia said. The production of aromatic Darjeeling tea was less than 6 million kg last year. Echoing Lohia, Darjeeling Tea Association principal adviser Sandip Mukherjee said the natural calamity has wreaked havoc in the gardens. "Approximately, 30 gardens were severely affected. Most of the damage was reported from estates in the western part of the hills, such as those in Mirik and Pokhriabong. On average, each of the affected gardens reported loss of tea-bearing land between 2-2.47 acres due to rain-triggered landslides," Mukherjee told reporters. Elaborating on the damage, Lohia said the loss of plantation area will severely hit the planters. "Tea bushes have been washed away. One of our 14 gardens in Darjeeling reported loss of 10,000 tea bushes, which is equivalent to two hectares," the Chamong Tea chairman said.

Binod Mohan, who owns six tea gardens in the hills, told PTI that the disaster earlier this week was a major one, after the 1968 floods and landslides. "Autumn crop has been affected, and landslides have left permanent damage to many gardens in the form of loss of land. At our Seeyok estate, two workers died, and the houses of many labourers were washed away. Around 60-70 landslides -small and moderate - were reported in the 350-acre Seeyok garden, resulting in a loss of 20 acres of tea-bearing land," he told reporters. Bagaria said three gardens of his group also reported land loss to the tune of 10 hectares. At least 32 people, including children, were killed as relentless rain triggered one of the worst landslides in a decade in Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas on Sunday, sweeping away homes, cutting off roads, isolating villages, and leaving hundreds of stranded tourists amid widespread devastation, officials said. With disruption in production and logistics challenges, the quantity of Darjeeling tea to be offered for auction at the Kolkata Tea Auction centre is expected to be low, and this could jack up the prices for the aromatic variety. According to an official of the Calcutta Tea Traders Association, around 1.15 lakh kg of Darjeeling tea have been catalogued for the sale numbers 42 and 43, which are scheduled to be held on October 14 and 24, respectively, but the quantity to be offered for the sale number 44 and onwards is likely to be "lower". Altogether 65,148 kg of Darjeeling tea was offered at sale number 41, held on October 8, of which 46,406 kg were sold with an average price of Rs 468.35 per kg, he added.