Sikkim was hit by flash floods, even washing away a dam
Guwahati:
Six soldiers are among the 19 killed in the flash floods in Sikkim, sources said today. More than 100 soldiers, including 16, are missing and 3,000 tourists are stranded. So far, more than 2,500 people have been evacuated, and 6,000 have been transferred to relief camps.
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The state government has asked tourists not to come to Sikkim at this time. The government has also issued an advisory on the possibility of explosives and ammunition being washed away from an army camp during the flash floods.
The Power Ministry said it will make a detailed assessment of damage to hydropower projects in Sikkim after flood waters recede.
State hydropower giant NHPC is taking all possible measures to make the hydropower projects operational at the earliest, the ministry said, adding that they are continuously monitoring the situation arising out of flash floods in the Teesta basin.
Due to flash floods in the Teesta basin on the intervening night of October 3-4, all bridges downstream to the Teesta-V hydroelectric power station up to Tarkhola and Pamphok were submerged or washed away.
The power plant is currently shut down and no electricity is being generated. NHPC has timely evacuated the manpower from all its projects and ensured that they are shifted to safer places.
The state administration has asked those stranded in flood-hit Mangan district not to panic as authorities would start an evacuation process from Friday.
Platoons of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are also ready in North Sikkim to start the evacuation process for the locals.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang visited Singtam, one of the worst affected areas, and reviewed the situation. “Our dedicated teams are working around the clock to address the immediate concerns and challenges posed by this disaster. I urge the government, local authorities, all organizations and individuals to join hands in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation,” Mr Tamang said.
The flash floods destroyed 11 bridges in the state, with eight bridges washed away in Mangan district alone. Two bridges were destroyed in Namchi and one in Gangtok. Water pipes, sewers and 277 houses, both kuchcha and concrete, have been destroyed in four districts.
The flash flood in the Teesta River caused by a cloudburst in the Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim caused an accumulation of a huge amount of water, which turned towards the Chungthang Dam, destroying the electricity infrastructure before flowing into a river downstream moved and flooded towns and villages.
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