The Devastating Flood of 1968 at Jalpaiguri: ...

The Devastating Flood of 1968 at Jalpaiguri: A Historical Analysis

Author Name : Dr. Rahul Kumar Mohanta

ABSTRACT

Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in his essay, ‘ Report on Rainfall and Floods in North Bengal, 1870-.1992, Surendranath Banerjee and Meghnad Saha in their works, ‘ A Nation in Making and The Great Flood in North Bengal have greatly mentioned the floods of 1922 in Jalpaiguri.The Flood of 1968 was the most devastating and caused permanent damage to the town and in fact it sealed up the prosperity and growth of Jalpaiguri. Due to the sudden flood of Teesta river which caused   devastation not only to human lives but to the innumerable deaths of wild lives including cows and domestic animals. The most affected areas were Raikotpara, Samaj Para, Sen Para, Wakargunj, Old Police Line, Santi Para, Deshbondhu Para,  New Circular Road, Panda Para and many other areas in and around Jalpaiguri.In this Paper I will narrate the devastating flood of 1968 and its consequences  in recent available sources.

Keywords: Flood, Jalpaiguri,Teesta, Devastation, Human lives