In the flash flood related incident in the Teesta River basin caused by cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim, as many as 14 people have lost their lives while 102 others, including 22 Army
personnel, went missing.
One of the 23 Army men who had gone missing was rescued
later other than 2,011 people, while the calamity affected
22,034 people, stated the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA).
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conversation with Chief
Minister Prem Singh Tamang and
assured him of all possible support. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also prayed
for the well-being of the missing army personnel.
The Sikkim Government, in a notification, said the natural calamity
had been declared as a disaster.
Flash Floods Kill 14 In Sikkim
More than 3,000 tourists from many parts of the country were reported
to be stranded in different parts of Sikkim, as the flood situation in the Northeastern State worsened at nearly 1.30 am on Wednesday, with the release of water from
Chungthang dam. Several workers employed with the Teesta Stage III dam in
Chungthang were also stranded in tunnels of the dam.
The State Government built 26 relief camps in four affected
districts. A total of 1,025 people took shelter in the eight relief camps in
Gangtok district, while the number of inmates at the 18 other relief camps was
not available immediately.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang visited Singtam, one of the worst
hit areas, and reviewed the situation. He urged the people to stay
alert and take shelter in safe locations and assured that the government is
making all necessary arrangements for their rehabilitation.
The flash flood led to an accumulation of a
huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang dam, destroying the
power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate, flooding towns and
villages.
Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were
pressed in for rescue and relief operations. Efforts were also underway to dig
out vehicles submerged under the slush.
Assessing the infrastructural damage in the State, Sikkim Chief
Secretary said 14 bridges collapsed, with nine of them being under the Border
Roads Organisation (BRO) and five others belonging to the State Government.
Chungthang town bore the maximum brunt of the flood with 80 per cent of it
being severely hit.
Parts of National Highway-10, the main link between Sikkim and the
rest of the country, were washed away, while a flood alert was issued for North
Bengal and Bangladesh through which the Teesta River flows.
Many towns, including Dikchu, Singtam and Rangpo, situated in the
Teesta basin, were flooded with the upsurge in the river. A notification by the Education department said all schools located in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and
Namchi districts will remain closed till October 8.
Commenting on the situation, Sikkim MLA GT Dhungel informed petrol and diesel had already become scarce in capital city Gangtok but
food was easily available.
To deal with the paucity of ration and other
essentials in Sikkim, the State Government decided to build Bailey Bridge
with help from the Army and National Highways & Infrastructure Development
Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
As the search and rescue operations continued, the Indian Army
extended medical aid and telephone connectivity to tourists and locals trapped in different parts of the State.
In view of the situation, the Indian Army issued some helpline numbers in the wake of
flash floods in Sikkim.
Army Helpline for East Sikkim – 8756991895
Army Helpline No for North Sikkim – 8750887741
Army Helpline for missing persons – 7588302011
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
said the plausible cause of the flash floods in Sikkim could be excess rainfall as well as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood event at South Lhonak
Lake in North Sikkim.
The NDMA said the Himalayan ranges are host to many
glacial lakes, estimated through remote sensing techniques at about 7,500 and
of these, Sikkim has around 10 per cent of which nearly 25 are assessed to be
at-risk.
Satellite imagery showed that nearly two-thirds of the lake seems
to have been drained.
According to the Weather department, landslides and
disruption to flights could be expected as more rain was on the forecast over
the next two days in parts of Sikkim and neighbouring States. The main highway
linking Sikkim to Siliguri in West Bengal was also washed away.
The National Remote Sensing Centre, one of the ISRO centres, also
conducted a satellite-based study on the outburst of the South Lhonak lake in
Sikkim by obtaining temporal satellite images (before & after) over the
water body. The space agency said it will continue monitoring the lake further
using satellite data.
