Published on October 7, 2025
By: Paramita Sarkar
North Bengal successful India has been severely impacted by unprecedented rainfall and flooding, starring to important nonaccomplishment of life, wildlife casualties, and disruption of tourism activities. The disaster, which began connected October 5, 2025, has resulted successful nan deaths of astatine slightest 28 individuals owed to landslides and drowning.
What Happened?
Continuous dense rainfall complete nan past 2 days has caused rivers crossed North Bengal to swell, resulting successful flash floods and wide devastation. Dooars, a lush region successful nan foothills of nan eastbound Himalayas, on pinch Jaldapara National Park, was straight affected by nan catastrophic downpour. The swollen rivers, including nan Holang River, person overflowed their banks, starring to nan illness of bridges, harm to roads, and inundation of immense swathes of forest. This has near some wildlife and section populations stranded.
Floodwaters person submerged important portions of Jaldapara National Park, a prized wildlife sanctuary known for its organization of one-horned rhinos, elephants, and different endangered species. Along pinch these species, nan floods person affected galore section residents and visitors who were successful nan area erstwhile disaster struck.
The main entree way to nan parkland was trim disconnected erstwhile a woody span complete nan Holang River was washed distant by beardown currents, rendering nan parkland inaccessible. At nan aforesaid time, nan Torsa River, 1 of nan awesome rivers successful nan area, besides surged, affecting surrounding villages and areas that trust heavy connected tourism for economical survival.
Where Did It Happen?
The Dooars region, including Jaldapara National Park, has borne nan brunt of this biology crisis. Located successful nan bluish portion of West Bengal, adjacent nan foothills of nan Himalayas, Dooars is simply a verdant region marked by dense forests and rolling grasslands. Known for its wildlife sanctuaries, including Jaldapara, Dooars is besides a hotspot for eco-tourism. The parkland is location to nan largest organization of one-horned rhinos successful Bengal and attracts thousands of visitors each year. However, nan dense flooding has not only caused extended spot harm but has besides severely disrupted section wildlife and tourism.
In particular, nan Jaldapara National Park, situated betwixt nan Torsa River and nan Malangi River, has been flooded, causing awesome concerns complete nan endurance of nan park’s divers wildlife. The animals, specified arsenic rhinos, elephants, and deer, person been stranded arsenic floodwaters person submerged their earthy habitats.
When Did It Happen?
The catastrophic floods occurred aft respective days of relentless rainfall starting from October 5, 2025. By nan pursuing day, nan dense downpours had swollen rivers crossed nan region, starring to flash floods and landslides. This abrupt alteration successful upwind conditions caught galore disconnected guard, contributing to nan accelerated escalation of nan disaster. Emergency operations were instantly launched to rescue stranded locals and tourists.
As of October 7, 2025, 28 individuals person been confirmed dead, and rescue teams are continuing their hunt for others who mightiness still beryllium trapped successful nan floodwaters.
Why Is This Important?
This flood disaster has far-reaching consequences not only for nan section organization but besides for nan wildlife successful nan region. Jaldapara National Park, a sanctuary for complete 30 to 35 one-horned rhinos, plays a important domiciled successful Bengal’s biodiversity conservation. The parkland besides houses respective different endangered species, specified arsenic elephants, chaotic buffaloes, and migratory birds, each of which are astatine consequence owed to nan rising waters. Additionally, nan flooding has near galore type stranded, pinch galore animals struggling to find shelter aliases food.
Local residents, peculiarly those surviving adjacent nan rivers and nan park, person faced terrible harm to their homes and livelihoods. The tourism sector has besides been devastated, pinch nan region seeing a crisp diminution successful visitant numbers owed to nan floods. Jaldapara, which typically attracts 7,000 to 9,000 visitors annually during nan Durga Puja season, has had to temporarily adjacent its doors to visitors, leaving businesses that trust connected tourism astatine a loss.
How Is nan Situation Being Managed?
The West Bengal Forest Department has announced a impermanent suspension of each tourism activities successful Jaldapara National Park owed to information concerns and nan harm caused by nan floods. Authorities are presently assessing nan grade of nan harm to nan park’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and stream channels. Rescue operations are ongoing, and efforts are being made to evacuate stranded visitors from nan Jaldapara Tourist Lodge, wherever astir 25 visitors were trapped aft nan stream surged.
The wood section is besides moving connected providing alleviation to section communities affected by nan floods, coordinating pinch emergency services to behaviour evacuations wherever necessary. Once upwind conditions improve, repair activity connected nan damaged infrastructure will begin, and nan authorities scheme to reopen nan parkland successful phases, based connected nan information of nan area.
Impact connected Local Economy
The flooding has caused important harm to nan local economy, peculiarly affecting nan tourism sector. Jaldapara National Park is simply a awesome root of gross for nan region, drafting ample numbers of home and world visitors passim nan year. However, nan abrupt closure of nan park, mixed pinch nan wide disruption of roads and entree points, has led to monolithic cancellations of bookings for safaris, lodging, and different activities.
Local homestay businesses and eco-tourism ventures, which play a awesome domiciled successful nan livelihood of nan community, person suffered arsenic well. The timing of nan disaster, conscionable earlier nan Durga Puja festival, has compounded nan economical damage, arsenic this is typically 1 of nan busiest times of twelvemonth for tourism successful nan region.
Looking Ahead
In nan coming days, betterment efforts will proceed arsenic nan West Bengal Forest Department useful to clear nan debris, repair infrastructure, and measure nan afloat grade of nan damage. There is simply a beardown accent connected ensuring that nan wildlife populations, peculiarly nan one-horned rhinos and different endangered type successful Jaldapara, are rescued and relocated if necessary.
The authorities and wood officials are besides considering providing alleviation to nan section organization and helping them rebuild their homes and livelihoods aft nan disaster. However, overmuch depends connected nan weather conditions and nan expertise to repair captious infrastructure successful nan affected areas.
The floods successful North Bengal person near a lasting people connected nan region, but pinch ongoing betterment efforts and support from nan authorities and conservation organizations, location is dream that nan area will slow return to normalcy. Meanwhile, residents and visitors alike must stay cautious arsenic authorities proceed to show nan business and activity towards recovery.