Sikkim flood: Death toll rises to 27, rescue ops for 143 missing still on

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

Gangtok, Oct 07, 2023: The death toll in the flash floods in Sikkim has risen to 27 including those of seven Army personnel, with the number of missing persons going upto 143. Authorities fear that the true numbers in this disaster might be higher than what they estimated.

 

Meanwhile, the state chief minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the family of those who died in the flash floods. Tamang also announced an immediate relief of Rs 2,000 each to all those people who are taking shelter in relief camps.

The flash floods, which was triggered by a cloudburst on Wednesday, has affected over 25,000 people, damaged more than 1,200 houses, and washed away 13 bridges, bringing the Himalayan state to its worst condition.

Death Toll Goes Upto 26, Search On For 143 Missing Persons

The death toll in the Sikkim flash floods has gone up to 27, seven of which were of Army personnel. With this the number of missing persons also went up to 143. Search operations to locate the ones missing is underway.

So far, 2,413 people have been rescued from different areas and 6,875 people are taking shelter in 22 relief camps set up across the state, most of which has been cut off from the rest of the country.

The bodies of seven Army personnel were recovered from different areas downstream of Teesta, while one of them was rescued earlier.

According to a defence statement, at Bardang, Army vehicles have been dug out and stores were recovered and adding that tracker dogs and special radars have been deployed for assistance in the search operations.

26 Meghalaya Students Stuck in Flood-hit Sikkim; State Govt Activates Helpline

The Meghalaya government activated a helpline to help those who are stranded in the flood-hit state of Sikkim after 26 of its student got stuck in the state.

The students got stranded in the state after the flash flood cut off roads and bridges in the state.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that those affected by the devastation in Sikkim can reach out to the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education’s Additional Director A Ali and Deputy Director FB Ramsiej.

Sikkim CM Announces Ex Gratia of Rs 4 Lakh

Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the flash floods. He also announced an immediate relief of Rs 2,000 to each of those taking shelter in relief camps.

“There have been damages worth thousands of crores of rupees. We cannot give exact details about damages, it will be revealed once a committee is formed and it completes its analysis. Our first priority is to save those who are stranded and provide them immediate relief,” Tamang told PTI.

He also said that the road connectivity has been adversely affected by the floods as the roads and bridges have been washed away, adding that communication in North Sikkim is severely affected.

Centre Assures Necessary Assistance to Sikkim

Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said that he has spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, President Droupadi Murmu and other Union ministers.

“They have assured me that all necessary assistance will be provided to the state,” Tamang said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved the release of Rs 44.8 crore as an advance amount from the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim to provide relief to flash floods-affected people.

Following a Shah’s instructions, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which will visit the affected areas of Sikkim soon to make an assessment of the damage caused due to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloudburst and flash floods, according to an official statement.

ITBP Team Rescues 68 Persons Stranded at the Height of 16,000 Ft

Amid the flash floods in Sikkim, 68 persons were stranded at the height of 16,000 feet and were totally cut off from others for three days.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) rescue team launched an extensive search operation and rescued all 68 persons safely. In a separate operation, six officials of Chungtham’s Teesta Power Project were also rescued, the ITBP said.

Aftermath of Flash Floods: Several Roads, Bridges & Homes Affected

In the aftermath of the flash floods triggered by a cloud burst in the Himalayan state of Sikkim, several roads and homes were affected. Visuals from the region show adversely damaged roads, homes and bridges.

CWC’s 2015 Report Stands out Amid Glacial Lake Outburst

One study done by the Central Water Commission has stood out among the other researches that exist in the past about potential glacial lake outbursts and flash-floods triggered by them. The 2015 report of the CWC has clearly warned the state government that majority of the hydropower projects on the Teesta river are highly vulnerable to such events.

A GLOF occurred in parts of Lhonak Lake, leading to a rapid rise in water levels with very high velocities downstream along the Teesta River Basin in the early hours of October 4. This resulted in severe damage in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi districts.

The CWC study, titled “Glacial Lake Outburst Flood–South Lhonak System in Teesta River Basin” noted that GLOFs in glacial lakes in the river basin could lead to severe flash floods downstream, impacting areas like Lachen, Chungthang, Dikchu, Singtam, Manipal, Rangpo, Bara Mungwa villages, and the entirety of hydropower projects Teesta I to VI along a 175-km stretch of the river.

A CWC official on condition of anonymity told PTI, “Multiple studies, including one by the commission, had cautioned the state authorities about the GLOF hazard in the upper Teesta River region. We currently have one flood forecasting station 20 km upstream of Chungthang. More stations can be installed if the state submits a proposal.”

Several occasions in the last two decades have seen government agencies and research studies warning about potential GLOFs in Sikkim.