Gangtok, Oct 7: The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) of the South Lhonak Glacial Lake has completed destroyed the Teesta Stage 3 Dam in Chungthang, run by Teesta Urja Limited. The October 4 disaster has also severely damaged the town of Chungthang and cut it off from rest of Sikkim.
The only way to access the village is by crossing the Teesta River, and previously through the Teesta Stage 3 Dam.
Despite 4 days since the tragedy struck the hilly town, which is the worst affected compared to any other village, residents of Chungthang are yet to receive any help from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), nor have they been airlifted to safer locations. Residents claimed that because of the dam, the GLOF made a whirlpool, which ravaged the entire town.
It is to be mentioned here that the GLOF poured about 100 hectares of water into Teesta River.
There are two prominent villages beyond Chungthang – Lachen village and Lachung village, both popular in the tourist circuit, along with connectivity to the border areas with China which have now been completely cut off.
Efforts are underway to construct a log bridge to connect to the other side, where majority of the residents, army personnel and even tourists are stranded, currently.
Lachen Mangan MLA, Samdup Lepcha, reached to damaged side of Chungthang using a zipline along with DIG Range Tashi Wangyal of Sikkim Police to take stock of the situation.
The relief efforts currently are being carried out by State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn) and civilians.
Furthermore, ammunition of the army and ITBP have also been swept by the GLOF, with one such ammunition reaching as far as Jalpaiguri in West Bengal where it exploded, killing a 7-year-old kid. Citizens in Chungthang and other locations downhill on the banks of river Teesta fear more such ammunitions could be found. Sikkim State government has also issued an advisory warning of such explosions.
Atleast 53 people have been confirmed dead in the Sikkim flash floods and 143 people still remain missing. The NH-10, the lifeline of Sikkim, remains cut off as parts of the road were washed away in the flood. As many as 14 bridges on river Teesta were also washed away, and over 3000 tourists remain stranded in different parts of the state.
Read:Â Sikkim Flash Floods: 26 Meghalaya students safely reach Shillong
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