On October 4th, a cloud burst across Lhonak Lake in northern Sikkim led to an outburst on the Teesta River at Lachen Valley. The cloudburst in the small, hilly state resulted in at least 14 fatalities and 102 unaccounted for cases.The release of water from Chungthang dam has exacerbated Sikkim’s flooding, which began in the middle of the morning. The surge of the river has flooded a number of towns in the Teesta basin, including Dikchu, Singtam and Rangpo. It is estimated that in various parts of Sikkim there are over three thousand tourists stranded, while 166 have been saved with the help of an army man.
Due to the constant rains, a glacial lake located in the northwest of the state, at 17,000 feet, burst, releasing water into the downstream areas. Accordingly, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority SSDMA reported that water levels on the Teesta River had risen to a record high on Wednesday October 4, leading to flooding in four areas: Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi. The burst of water from Chungthang Dam has worsened the flood in Sikkim, which began just after 1.30 this morning, officials said. In a post on X, the CWC suggested that Tuesday’s earthquake in Nepal might have caused the lake to burst, but did not elaborate.
On Thursday, the Indian army made available 3 telephone numbers for family members of Mission personnel in flood hit Sikkim. There are three hotline numbers set up by the Indian Army. The phone numbers for the hotlines are listed below: In the case of North Sikkim, Army Helpline No: 8750887741, The Army’s hotline for East Sikkim is 8756991895, Missing Army soldiers’ helpline: 758 8302011
On Thursday morning, the death toll in Sikkim increased to 14, and 102 people are still missing. In different parts of the State, more than 3000 tourists are feared to have been stranded. In the tunnels of the dam, there are still 14 workers in Teesta Stage 3 at Chungthang.
The Sikkim Government set up 18 disaster relief camps in Singtam, Rangpo, Dikchu and Adarsh Gaon where most of the damage has been done. However, the Indian Army and other paramilitaries are establishing relief camps there due to a lack of communication with Chungthang.
The government officials were afraid of ration shortages in the state.The Indian Army and National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) would construct Bailey and Siliguri bridges, according to the State Chief Secretary. And the police station in Chungthang was destroyed as well. According to an official report, Chungthang and most of the North Sikkim area suffered a loss of mobile/telephone connection due to flash flooding which also damaged fiber cable lines in Sangkalan and Toong.
On Wednesday, the south Lhonak Lake in North West Sikkim witnessed a cloud breakup that caused an endless flash of monsoon rain. The Gangtok District Administration was notified that the River Teesta was being swept by the flash flood as it moved past Singtam town, around 30 kilometers from Gangtok. Around 4am., the other bridge linking Balutar’s village was washed out as well.
