"Tista is notorious for changing courses. The excessive rains of 1787 caused heavy floods in Tista valley and the river instead of following the original course to meet the Ganga River directly, changed its original course and captured a minor river, Ghaghat......
......As long as the river gradient and the mountain slopes are in a state of balance, the incidents of landslides are minimized. However, whenever due to natural or anthropogenic reasons if this precarious balance is upset a landslide starts. A river that changes course frequently is bound to erode the toe of the mountains along the new course and lead to landslides."
In the year 1787 AD approximately 220 year ago Teesta changed her course. It will again in the future and is "notorious" for it.
September 2005 another landslide claimed 15 lives - among them 10 locals and 5 members of a climbing expedition.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
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