Page 7 - Sikkim

Sikkim flood: 62 missing people found alive, death toll rises to 33

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim rose to 30 as four more bodies were found on Saturday, while 62 people who were reported missing for the past three days were found alive, a government agency said here. The number of missing people thus came down to 81, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin on Saturday evening. An inter-ministerial central team will visit the flood-hit state from Sunday to assess the damage due to the natural calamity, Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra said here. The flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the calamity as a population of around 30,300 were hit by the disaster, it said. The other three affected districts are Gangtok, Pakyang and Namchi. Of the 30 deaths - four were in Mangan, six in Gangtok district, 19 in Pakyong and one in Namchi. The report said that the 19 deceased peop

Crisis brewing in Darjeeling's tea gardens; several owners looking to sell

In the last three years, 20 gardens have changed hands, and 90 per cent of the buyers are from non-tea background

ITBP rescues 56 civilians stranded in North Sikkim's flash flood

As many as 56 civilians stranded due to the recent flash floods were rescued by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in North Sikkim, the officials said on Sunday

ITBP rescues 56 people in North Sikkim, search continues for those missing

Fifty-six people were rescued in North Sikkim's Chungthang, one of the worst affected areas in the flash flood, the ITBP said on Sunday. Among those rescued were 52 men and four women, it said. "In another rescue operation, 56 civilians (52 Male & 4 Female) were successfully rescued via the ropeway made by the ITBP Rescue Team in Chungthang, North Sikkim," it tweeted. The search for the 81 people who went missing in the flash flood continued. So far, 30 bodies have been found, officials said. The flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the calamity as a population of around 30,300 was hit by the disaster, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA). The other three affected districts are Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi. Nineteen of the deaths were reported from Pakyong, six from Gangtok district, four from Mangan, and one from Namchi,

Missing army personnel from Assam confirmed dead in Sikkim flash flood: CM

The Indian Army on Saturday said that search and rescue efforts are underway to locate and rescue the remaining 14 missing soldiers and other civilians in recent Sikkim flash floods.Indian Army also expressed condolences over the loss of eight jawans in recent flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Sikkim.The Army in a statement said that Army Chief General Manoj Pande and all ranks of the Indian Army express heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of eight Indian Army soldiers in the unfortunate incident of flash floods arising out of a glacial lake burst in Sikkim."We stand firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. COAS and all ranks Indian Army also expressed grief at the loss of civilian lives in this tragic incident,' it said."Concerted search and rescue efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining 14 missing soldiers and other civilians," the release further added.It said that Indian Army efforts towards providing safety, relief & succour to the ..

Sikkim flash floods: MoS Ajay Mishra meets CM Tamang, assures Centre's help

MoS Mishra is on a two-day visit to Sikkim to take stock of flash flood-affected areas

MoS Home Mishra visits flood-hit Sikkim, assures of all central assistance

The central government is closely monitoring the situation in Sikkim, where a cloudburst and floods led to severe destruction and deaths, and providing all the necessary support and assistance to the state, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra said on Saturday. Mishra, who is currently visiting the areas hit by Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloud burst and flash floods, also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are in constant touch with Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang with regard to the extent of damages and rescue and relief work. The government of India under Prime Minister Modi is standing in solidarity with the people of Sikkim and leaving no stone unturned to restore normalcy in the state, according to an official release. Within a day of the incident, Home Minister Shah has deputed Mishra to visit Sikkim. Mishra reached Gangtok on Friday night, and chaired a meeting with the Chief Secretary and head of departments ..

Central team to visit flood-hit Sikkim from Sunday to assess damage: Govt

An inter-ministerial central team will visit flood-hit Sikkim from Sunday to assess the damage due to the natural calamity, Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra said. Mishra, the union minister of state for home affairs, arrived here on Saturday for a three-day visit to the Himalayan state. He said the Centre has been monitoring the flood situation in Sikkim and assured the state administration of all necessary support and assistance. Mishra held a meeting with Chief Secretary V B Pathak and senior officials of the state government, army and other organisations. "The Centre is closely monitoring the situation in Sikkim and all the necessary support and assistance for the state is underway," Mishra said. Officials of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDC) and NHPC Ltd were also present at the meeting. Mishra also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Sikkim flash floods: Over 3,000 tourists stranded in Lachen, Lachung

More than 3,000 tourists are stranded in Lachen and Lachung in Mangan district of Sikkim after flash flood hit the area and cut off all road communications are safe on Saturday, officials said. The Indian Air Force made multiple attempts to carry out rescue and relief operations by Mi-17 helicopters but was unable to fly from Bagdogra as well as Chaten due to the inclement weather, low-lying cloud cover and low visibility conditions in the Lachen and Lachung valley, they said. The roads to Lachen and Lachung are damaged. An alternative route to Chungthang via Dzongu is in the process of being opened for the rescue teams to move forward. Teesta Urja has also provided a chopper for the rescue of tourists and the supply of essential commodities to the Chungtang area. An ITBP team that reached the area is carrying out relief and rescue in Chungthang at the moment, officials said. The India Meteorological Department in a weather forecast with respect to Mangan district said light to ..

Sikkim flood death toll rises to 27, search ops continue for 141 missing

Search operations continued on Saturday for the 142 people who are still missing after the flash flood in the Teesta river that devastated Sikkim, officials said. Twenty-six people including seven Armymen were killed in the flash flood, which was triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday and affected over 25,000 people, damaged more than 1,200 houses and washed away 13 bridges, bringing the picturesque Himalayan state to its knees, they said. 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. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased and an immediate relief of Rs 2,000 each for all those taking shelter in the camps. "There have been damage worth thousands of crores of rupees. We cannot give exact details about the damage. It will be revealed once a ...

Sikkim flash flood: Toll rises to 25, searches on for 143 missing people

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim mounted to 21 on Friday as Army and NDRF teams worked their way through slushy earth and fast flowing water in the Teesta river basin and downstream north Bengal for the third day in search of those who were swept away and are still missing, officials said. Of the 23 army personnel who were missing from Burdang area, the bodies of seven have been recovered from different areas downstream while one was rescued and the search is on for 15 missing jawans, Chief Minister P S Tamang said. A total of 118 people, including the 15 jawans, remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood. So far, 2,411 people have been evacuated and accommodated at relief camps, while the calamity has affected over 22,000 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin. The flash flood in the Teesta River, triggered by the cloudburst in Lhonak Lake, .

Relief for Sikkim: Likely duty waiver by GST Council for warning system

The exemption would be valid for imports made up to the end of February 2024, a source familiar with the matter said

Shah approves release of Rs 44.8 cr to provide relief to people in Sikkim

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 directive from Shah, 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. The home minister has approved the release of both the instalments of the SDRF's central share to Sikkim, amounting to Rs 44.8 crore, in advance for 2023-24 to help the northeastern state provide relief to the affected people, the statement said. The Centre has assured the Sikkim government of all possible help. The central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is standing shoulder to shoulder with Sikkim, the statement

Sikkim flash flood: Death toll rises to 21, over 100 missing | Details here

Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) has advised people to stay away from the Teesta as the water level was rising due to incessant rains in the upper reaches

Sikkim's Teesta III river dam disaster: When neglect flows downstream

Larger questions have also emerged on the ecological sensitivity of the glacial regions around Sikkim, their susceptibility to extreme weather events, rapid infra creation and lack of climate adaptati

18 dead, 98 people still missing as search continues in Sikkim flash flood

Fourteen 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 happened 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. 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 ..

Sikkim flash flood: Study warned about threat of South Lhonak lake bursting

A study by an international team of researchers had warned two year ago that the South Lhonak lake in Sikkim may burst in the future and significantly impact the downstream region. An outburst in the South Lhonak Lake on the intervening night of October 3-4, triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, leaving 14 people dead and 102 others, including 22 army personnel, missing. The event also resulted in the breach of the Chungthang dam, which is the largest hydropower project in Sikkim. The 2021 study, published in the journal Geomorphology, highlighted that South Lhonak Lake had witnessed a significant growth in the past decades due to glacial retreat, thereby increasing its chances of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). GLOFs occur when lakes formed by melting glaciers suddenly burst open. This can happen due to various reasons, such as too much water accumulating in the lake. Studies show that the glacier receded about 2 kilometres in 46 years from 1962 to 2008. It furt

NHPC's two hydropower plants in Sikkim affected due to flash floods

State-owned NHPC's two hydro power plants in Teesta Basin in Sikkim have been affected following flash floods on Wednesday. According to a BSE filing, the two affected projects are Teesta-V Power Station (510 MW) and Teesta-VI (500 MW), being executed by Lanco Teesta Hydro Power Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NHPC. "It is also to inform that considering the emergent situation, all units of Teesta-V Power Station have been shut down," the filing said. Detailed assessment of losses/ damages will be carried out after the water level recedes.

'Govt must rethink strategy in dealing with ecologically fragile states'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday voiced concern over the situation in Sikkim and urged the Centre to declare both the Sikkim flash floods and Himachal Pradesh floods as national disasters. He also expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Sikkim flash floods. The situation in Sikkim is precarious as several people have lost their lives and many, including our brave Army personnel, are missing due to cloudburst and flash floods, he said. "Our thoughts are with the people of Sikkim who are battling these distressing times. The Union Government must do everything possible to rescue people in safer locations and find the missing persons, whose count is reportedly steadily increasing," Kharge said in a post on X. He said a lot of damage has been done to the infrastructure, and the Union and the state government must work together in the medium and long term to rebuild this beautiful state. The Congress party and its workers shall help i

14 dead, 102 missing in Sikkim flash flood, 3,000 tourists stranded: Govt

Injuries and persons missing have been reported from Chungthang in Mangan district, and Dikchu, Singtam in Gangtok district and Rangpo in Pakyong district