In the wake of the Nepal flash floods that have claimed 900 lives — the toll is likely to go up — a senior environmentalist from West Bengal has written to the chief minister of Bengal and other ministers, urging them to turn their attention to the impact of unplanned development in north Bengal, the Himalaya region in the state.
Biswajit Mukherjee, president, Paribesh Academy, Chandannagar, Hooghly, who was also the former law officer in the state pollution control board, has been writing to the highest authorities of the administration for years, warning them of the potential disasters in north Bengal.
“I have written so many letters but only once I got a reply but nothing has been done on ground over the years, how can one be saved if he or she intends to commit suicide,” said Mukherjee who blamed the completely unruly solid waste management as the main reason behind the jhoras being vlocked triggering the landslides. Jhoras are small water channels in mountain.
Utter disregard to nature
“After the natural disaster in Nepal, as responsible citizens, we cannot remain silent against unplanned, unscientific development and urbanisation with utter disregard towards the laws of nature,” writes Mukherjee in the letter written on Sunday, August 30, and addressed to the Bengal chief minister, environment and forest minister and tourism minister. The Plurals has a copy of the letter.
Mukherjee urges the authorities to restore “ecofriendly atmosphere” in the hill zone and forest areas of north Bengal and recommends a list of measures.
Measures proposed
The letter says that an effort to prevent disasters may be made:
*By removing all unauthorised constructions, be it for residential or for commercial purposes.
*By not allowing any further illegal and unauthorised construction to be raised.
*By implementing strict restriction upon unauthorised use of plastic materials.
*By constituting a monitoring committee comprising experts from various fields, who will evaluate the possible impact on nature before implementing any government projects like construction of roads, dams, bridges etc.
*By cleaning river beds and stopping the felling of trees in the hilly area and also in Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar and other adjacent forest areas.
*By raising public awareness regarding the possible fatal impact of illegal construction.
Letters galore
Mukherjee has raised these concerns several times earlier, starting with the February 2021 Chamoli disaster in Uttarakhand, when flashfloods had killed more than 200 people. The Himalayas have become increasingly prone to disasters in the recent years.
He also refers to the Chamoli disaster in his latest letter. “With reference to the natural disaster in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, our organization submitted a detailed representation before the then chief minister, West Bengal, on 14/01/2023 under intimation to all concerned,” says the letter.
In a letter dated 13/03/2023, he had written to the Darjeeling district magistrate suggesting similar measures to be adopted in north Bengal as he recommended now for prevention. He had also written to the Darjeeling district magistrate. The impact of unplanned development was highlighted.
In a letter dated 21/08/2023, he had raised these concerns with the then principal secretary of environment in West Bengal. Immediately afterwards, in October 2023, north Sikkim was struck by a massive glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) that killed 50 people.
In a letter dated 11/10/2025, Mukherjee had again written to the high officials in the Bengal government and the Darjeeling authorities, highlighting precautionary measures for north Bengal.