Roads and Landslides: A Case Study from Sikkim and Darjiling Himalayas

The road network in a resource rich region like Himalaya plays significant role in facilitating every development plans, schemes and objectives without the economic, political, social and cultural progress of urban as well as rural areas cannot be achieved. The majority of Himalayan highways, besides being the life lines of the region are scenes of severe landslides, initiating chains of uncontrolled erosion and other mass movements. The paper emphasizes the gravity of the problem faced due to landslides and their effects on urban as well as rural habitat in Himalayan region. Suggestions for mitigating associated hazards are also highlighted.