Saturday, November 8, 2008

Why SaveTheHills (STH) must prevail...





Two days ago, Prabal Ghatraj (SLIDE 1) of Lower Sindebung, Kalimpong met and told me what is now a familiar story. He and his brother are unemployed and live with their family of 7 in Lower Sindebung.
Some years ago they used to get 25 murrees of rice from 4.65acres of land, now that has shrunk to a mere 3 murrees because they have lost 3 acres of land to landslides. Copies of the letters which they submitted to the govt authorities years ago are placed as SLIDE 2 and 3. (SLIDE 3 documents some of the farmers who have lost land and the amount of land lost in Sindebung, Kalimpong)
There has been no reaction from any where.

Sindebung has featured on this blog many times and is a place where the landslides are due to drainage problem - one which can be corrected, given the will and the resources.
It is issues such as these that STH endeavors to take up at the highest levels and will certainly be highlighted in the forthcoming Landslide Hazard Workshop which is being organized by STH at Darjeeling on 21Nov2008.

praful rao

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

what causes the landslides and is there landshifts? interesting blog and thank you for sharing.