GANGTOK, Oct 5: 14 bodies have been found so far while 102 people, including 22 Army personnel, remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said on Thursday.
So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity that occurred on Wednesday affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.
The search for the 22 missing soldiers was continuing with a focus on the downstream areas as the fast-flowing river is likely to have carried them to the lower reaches, officials said.
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The state government has set up 26 relief camps in the four affected districts, the SSDMA said.
A total of 1,025 people are taking 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 affected areas, and took stock of the situation.
He urged the people to stay alert and take shelter in safe locations, and assured them that the government was making all necessary arrangements for their rehabilitation.
After visiting the affected areas, Tamang also chaired an emergency meeting at the Singtam Community Centre.
“I want to assure you that the government is fully committed to providing all necessary assistance and relief to those in need. We understand the magnitude of the situation and are mobilizing all available resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens,” he said.
“Our dedicated teams are working day and night to address the immediate concerns and challenges posed by this calamity. I urge the administration, local authorities, all organizations, and individuals to join hands in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. Together, we can make a significant difference in providing relief to those affected and rebuilding our communities,” he added.
The flash flood in the Teesta river, triggered by the cloudburst in Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, caused accumulation of huge quantities of water, which turned towards Chungthang dam destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate, flooding towns and villages.
The chief minister is in constant touch with the Centre, officials said.
He spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and apprised him of the situation, they said, adding that the PM assured all necessary assistance to the state.
The chief minister wrote to the Prime Minister, and sought necessary support, especially for areas that needed immediate intervention, officials said.
The flood destroyed 11 bridges in the state, with eight bridges getting washed away in Mangan district alone. Two bridges were destroyed in Namchi and one in Gangtok. Water pipelines, sewage lines and 277 houses, both kuchcha and concrete, have been destroyed in the four affected districts.
Tamang said he has asked the district magistrates (DMs), superintendents of police (SPs) and different departments to maintain a state of heightened vigilance.
Chungthang town bore the maximum brunt of the flood with 80 percent of it getting severely affected. The national highway -10, considered the lifeline of the state, sustained extensive damage at several places.
Seven people died in Pakyong district, four in Mangan and three lost their lives in Gangtok, according to the SSDMA.
Among the 102 people missing, 59 are from Pakyong, including the army personnel. 22 are missing in Gangtok, 16 in Mangan and five people are missing in Namchi.
A total of 26 people sustained injuries, the SSDMA said.
Defence spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said the Border Roads Organization (BRO) was helping the state in the rescued operations in Chungthang and Mangan, where four critical bridges have been severely damaged.
“More than 200 people have been moved to safer areas by the BRO in spite of continuous heavy rainfall and extremely bad weather,” he said.
“Search and rescue operations for the missing army personnel are still on,” he added.
The families of the missing persons have been informed of the situation, the official said.
The troops of the Trishakti Corps are extending mobile connectivity to civilians and tourists stranded in Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen in North Sikkim, another official said.
About 10,000 people have been affected by the calamity in the Mangan district, while 6,895 people were affected in Pakyong, 2,579 in Namchi and 2,570 people in Gangtok.
The SSDMA advised people to stay away from the Teesta as the water level was rising due to incessant rains in the upper reaches.
According to officials of the 17 Mountain Division, the water level was increasing in the Chungthang area till 11.30 am.
The state tourism department is also in contact with the stranded tourists, officials said.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday said the possible cause of the flash flood in Sikkim could be a combination of excess rainfall and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) event at South Lhonak lake in North Sikkim.
In a statement, the NDMA also 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.
Giving details of the incident, the NDMA said in the early hours of Wednesday, there was a sudden surge in water flow in the Teesta river, which washed away several bridges, parts of NH-10, the Chungthang Dam and has impacted several small villages, towns and infrastructure projects in the upper reaches of the river valley.
The main affected districts are Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi.
“While scientists are investigating the exact cause of the flash flood, the primary reason for the sudden surge appears to be a likely combination of excess rainfall and a GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) event at South Lhonak lake in North Sikkim,” it said in the statement.
The lake is 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 the Indian Space Research Organization at 6 am on Wednesday, revealed the draining out of more than half the lake, most likely as a result of an avalanche from the ice- capped feature.
The Central Water Commission’s monitoring stations revealed that the first surge of water was 19 metres above the maximum water level at Sangkalang at 0130 hours and 4 metres above the maximum water level at Melli at 0400 hours.
As soon as news was received, the NDMA said, alerts were issued to downstream habitations and relief and rescue operations were initiated by the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, Army, and Sikkim civil administration.
Several persons, including 23 Army men are missing, it said.
Continued snowfall in upper reaches and rainfall and clouds in lower reaches is hampering deployment of helicopters and relief operations.
However, the NDMA said consistent efforts are underway to assist the state government in all manner possible.
Relief camps have been set up at several locations in the affected areas.
Recently, in order to mitigate the impact of a GLOF event in these lakes, an NDMA-led expedition in the first week of September 2023 had surveyed two at-risk lakes in order to eventually deploy early warning systems for real-time alerts. (PTI)
