Tea plantations on more than 950 hectares, approximately 5 percent of the total area, are estimated to have been damaged in the recent bad weather. Just on Saturday, more than 261 millimeters of rain fell and tea growers are now talking about a disaster of historic proportions.
It is without equal. I have never experienced such a disaster before. When the water has run off, there is soil left on the plants and it is very costly to try to get it off, says Rajkumar Mondal, chairman of the country's trade organization.
Darjeeling is well-known for its tea, sometimes described as the "champagne of teas". Every year, around 10,000 tons of tea are produced, making it an important source of income in the region. The country's tea growers, however, are struggling with a range of challenges in the wake of climate change. Rising temperatures have also come to affect the harvests, according to the trade organization.
The death toll in connection with the recent rainstorm has been revised from 28 to 36 people.
