Under the shadow of a slide at Kopibari



The Government Junior High School at Kopibari below Namnang bhir in Gangtok. Through the tree cover above the right shoulder of the school building, the scar of the earthquake-induced landslide can be spied. As per experts, the 18 Sept earthquake has detached a rock mass on this alignment and brought it the brink of collapse. If it comes loose, the school and adjoining houses will be affected.

GANGTOK, 29 Nov: Kopibari, a small village under Shyari constituency, is situated directly below the Namnang cliff. In the past, the village has sustained substantial damage to life and property from landslides, and now, with the 18 September Earthquake, the sheer slope above has been rendered dangerously unstable. A recent landslide, triggered by the 18 September earthquake, from the Namnang cliff also damaged some property in the area.
The people of the area inform that they have been living with the threat of slides and occasional boulder falls. As per a post-earthquake survey carried out by the Mines & Geology Department, the Namnang and Kopibari area have been much affected by the occurrence of rockslides, rock bursts and development of cracks along the Nam-Nam slope facing Kopibari and adjoining areas. It was also found that a detached rock mass is lying at a threshold condition and chances of this collapsing are high in the immediate future. The official analysis is that the scattered houses along with the government Junior High School at Kopibari are at high risk.
The residents inform that the latest earthquake-induced landslide has already damaged the water source situated below the village on the cliff. For now, this is their most urgent concern.