INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMATICS AND GEOSCIENCES Volume 3, No 1, 2012 © Copyright by the authors - Licensee IPA- Under Creative Commons license 3.0 Research article ISSN 0976 – 4380 Submitted on May 2012 published on July 2012 13 Landslide disaster perception of the AILA cyclone in the Darjeeling town, West Bengal, India Bhattacharya Sudip Kumar © Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Applied Geography, PO- North Bengal University, Dist- Darjeeling, PIN- 734013 skbhatt2002@yahoo.co.in ABSTRACT A heavy downpour of 465 mm within 48 hours (which is equivalent to nearly 12 days’ rainfall in the rainiest month i.e. July) was the cause for several destructive landslides claiming 7 lives and huge property in the Darjeeling town on 26 th and 27 th May, 2009 triggered by the cyclone Aila. The present paper deals with the detailed investigation of two such most devastating landslides occurred at Frimal Village and Haridas Hatta in the Darjeeling town. In the Frimal Village, landslide reoccurred five times on a single spot within a period of 18 hours completely demolishing 22 houses below and three dunny (safety) tanks within the slide itself. No casualty was recorded except huge loss of property. But in the Haridas Hatta, landslide occurred only one time with high intensity partially damaging a house at the lower level and claimed seven lives. It is found that reckless construction of multi-storied buildings and their pressure, unmanaged building and community outlets, alteration of the natural setup of the soil by frequent digging for funeral purpose contributed the physical changes in the slope character. These changes being associated with scanty vegetation cover on the soil surface and poorly maintained plants of the tea garden incapable of holding soil on the steep slopes were the causes of such devastations following heavy gush of rain by the cyclone Aila. Keywords: Destructive landslides, cyclone Aila, reckless construction, community outlets, frequent digging, physical changes in slope character. 1. Introduction On 24 th May, 2009 a cyclonic storm named as Aila occurred in the southern part of west Bengal, the effect of which was reverberated in the Darjeeling Hills from 25 th to 27 th May, 2009 (Darjeeling Times, 2009). A rainfall amounting 465 mm within 48 hours from 26 th to 27 th May, 2009 ( Figure 1), which usually occurs in 12 days in the rainiest month i.e. in the month of July, was the triggering factor of several devastating landslides tolling 7 lives & huge property (Govt. of W.B., 2009) in the Darjeeling town. The mean daily rainfall of the Darjeeling town from 10 years rainfall data for the month of July being 38.305 mm (see Figure 2) clearly demonstrates that Aila rainstorm produced 6 days’ rain in one day or 24 hours (which was 232.5 mm). In the entire Darjeeling hills 40 major landslides occurred claiming 27 lives beyond 2 persons who are still untraced (Darjeeling Times, 2009; Govt. of W. B., 2009 ). The total damage of dwelling houses caused by this storm induced landslides was Rs 888.67 million, approximately 542.989 hectares of agricultural lands have been reported to be damaged. All major 5 roads connecting Darjeeling to Siliguri and Kalimpong faced 15 to 20 landslides in each stretch. (Govt. of W. B., 2009). In global perspective this landslide hazard may be compared with two contemporary landslide events i.e. Nile landslide near the south-central