‘Unplanned urban sprawl takes toll on Darj’s natural water tower’
darjeeling: In 1995, former World Bank vice-president Ismail Serageldin had proclaimed “if the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars over the next century will be fought over water- unless we change our approach to managing this precious and vital resource.” Though Darjeeling has not gone to war over water yet, managing the daily requirement of water is no less than a war for the hill town. Each and every resident faces the pinch all round the year.
Unchecked urbanisation, unbridled construction, global warming triggering erratic weather conditions and unplanned tourism have aggravated the situation. To make matters worse, the catchment areas for the water, considered as the lungs of the town, are also not being spared with a spurt in construction activities.
History has it that Darjeeling had started with a small settlement revolving around a monastery on a hilltop “Observatory Hill.” The name Darjeeling is set to have derived from “Dorje,” the Lama (monk) in charge of the monastery in 1835, writes EC Dozey in his book “Darjeeling, Past and Present,” published in 1922.
This hilltop overlooking the Darjeeling Mall- the most prominent public promenade—is revered by both the Hindus and the Buddhists as a holy spot. The Mahakal Temple is located on this hill top. “This Hill serves as the lungs of Darjeeling. The forest on the hill is a carbon sink, absorbing the harmful emissions. It is also one of the most important catchment areas for water with the cave systems and trees absorbing the water recharging the water table,” stated Bharat Prakash Rai of the Federation of Societies for Environment Protection. However, things have started changing for the “lungs.”
“The very sanctity of the temple which used to be a natural structure with a natural stone being worshipped, has changed. Multiple concrete temples have come up. The roads have been tiled and more concrete structures are set to come up. In the past there were talks of a rest house to be built for pilgrims, to which we vehemently objected and the plans fizzled out. They should realise the more the concretisation, the more the damage. Instead, medium sized flowering trees should be planted. It should be declared a no construction zone,” demanded Rai. A new concrete hostel building is coming up at the Southfield college, just below the cave system of the Observatory Hill thereby making the hill unstable.
“We want the state government and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to stop further constructions in this area. The Mall along with the Observatory Hill should be declared a state Heritage immediately so that no further construction is allowed. Then we can take up the matter with Delhi with the appeal to initiate necessary steps for a world heritage status,” stated Raj Basu, chairman, Ecotourism, Government of West Bengal, talking to Millennium Post.
He stated that a spiritual landscape cannot be changed without a nod from the community. “It is not that someone is eager to donate money for religious purposes and we keep on adding concrete structures. The landscape is worshipped as a natural reserve,” stated Basu.
“Observatory Hill is the only natural water tower- an important natural resource where the mist water gets soaked in through the ancient trees and percolates through the soil of the hill to become an essential watershed providing water in the form of a spring at Laal Dhiki in Darjeeling town. Any further deforestation or construction in our native forest (the only patch for Darjeeling town) will lead to water not soaking in to earth water without any option will be forced to find other routes causing calamities like landslides, urban flood and land-sinking,” stated Minket Lepcha who was part of 2022 women and rivers accelerator cohort.
Recently, posters were put up against construction in and around the Mall. Many hotels are constructing extensions and heavy concrete structures are coming up. “We want the Mall to be declared a no construction zone. The constructions are destroying both the environment and the views. The Mall is the last of the open spaces left in Darjeeling frequented by both residents and tourists,” stated Dawa of the Morning Health Club.
Shreya Gurung, who had conducted a study on disaster management on a 6km radius around Observatory Hill, conducted from 2017 to 2021 stated: “In this area there has been a 23.23 per cent increase in built up area. This was calculated using ESRI Sentinel 2 10m resolution data.” She stated that owing to the rampant construction all along the ridge area of Darjeeling, the belly area of Darjeeling is becoming more landslide-prone.
“Concretisation is a cause of concern. The contamination of springsheds or watersheds has both long term and short term effects. It could bring about an immediate change in the quality of the water. Post monsoon flow could stop. Perennial springs could become seasonal. Ground water has been community managed, hence the community needs to be aware of consequences,” stated Rinan Shah, a researcher. She has done a detailed study on the water crisis in Darjeeling.
“Darjeeling has umpteen water resources in the form of rivers, streams, jhoras and natural springs. The annual rainfall is among the highest in India. Due to the mountainous terrain, ground water gushes out in the form of springs. There are adequate water resources available in Darjeeling to meet the everyday demand of people. The water resource of Darjeeling has been severely stressed and strained in the last decade by rapid urbanisation, deforestation, drying up of water sources and a huge amount of construction activity taking place at a rapid pace. This has led to extreme water scarcity in town,” concluded a study by Amartya Kumar Bhattacharya entitled “An Analysis of the Problem of Water Supply in the Himalayan Town of Darjeeling and its Solutions.”
