New Delhi: A flash flood in Sikkim caused on Wednesday (October 4) morning by rainfall and a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) has damaged many infrastructure projects, while several persons, including 23 Indian Army jawans, were reported missing. According to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), the excess rainfall and GLOF event occurred at South Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim.The flooding reportedly began around 1:30 am, according to reports.The NDMA said the sudden surge in water flow in the Teesta River washed away several bridges, parts of NH-10, and the Chungthang Dam and has impacted several small villages, towns and infrastructure projects in the upper reaches of the river valley.Water from the damaged Chungthang dam flowed downstream, leading to a sudden increase of 15-20 feet in water level.The main districts affected are Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi.According to Hindustan Times, some defence vehicles were also submerged. “The Army vehicles were parked at Bardang near Singtam when the flash flood occurred,” the newspaper reported.The release of water from the Chungthang dam led to a sudden increase in water levels up to 15-20 feet high downstream. This has led to army vehicles parked at Bardang near Singtam getting affected, the Indian Express quoted officials as saying.The Teesta river is flowing at the danger mark and residents in low-lying areas have been rescued, NDTV reported. “Currently, the Teesta River is flowing at the “danger level” mark of 298.4 metres in the Khanitar district of East Sikkim, as per the Central Water Commission. The water level in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri was recorded as “severe” at 85.95 metres,” the report noted.Chief minister Prem Singh Tamang said, “Emergency services have been mobilized to the affected areas, and I personally visited Singtam to assess the damages and engage with the local community.”“I humbly urge all our citizens to remain vigilant and refrain from unnecessary travel during this critical time. It is essential that we maintain composure and hope for a swift return to normalcy in our region,” he continued.We are all aware of the recent natural calamity that has struck our state. Emergency services have been mobilized to the affected areas, and I personally visited Singtam to assess the damages and engage with the local community.I humbly urge all our citizens to remain vigilant… pic.twitter.com/KHyylID2pR— Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) (@PSTamangGolay) October 4, 2023The NDMA said that the South Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim is located at a height of 5,200 metres, with a towering ice-capped feature at about 6,800 metres to the north of and in close proximity to the lake. Satellite images received from ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre at 6 am on Wednesday showed that more than half the lake had drained out.#sikkimflashfloods #SikkimFloods pic.twitter.com/3ehOsoHBn6— NDMA India | राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन प्राधिकरण 🇮🇳 (@ndmaindia) October 4, 2023“Several persons, including 23 Army men are missing. Continued snowfall in upper reaches and rainfall and clouds in lower reaches are hampering deployment of helicopters and relief operations. However, consistent efforts are underway to assist the State Government in all manner possible,” the NDMA said.The agency said it plans to instal early warning systems for real-time alerts at most of the 56 at-risk glacial lakes in India.Note: This article was originally published at 1:27 pm on October 4 and republished at 10:30 pm on the same day with additional information.
