Town that bore the brunt of flood fury

Around 80% of homes in Chungthang town in north Sikkim have been severely hit by Wednesday's flash floods caused by Lhonak Lake over flow, a senior state government official said on Thursday, following the first assessment of the damage to the town adjacent to Teesta-III dam that collapsed.

- Joydeep Thakur

"Nearly 80% of the Chungthang town has been severely hit. Several houses and establishments in the entire Mangan district have been rendered unsafe because of the erosion caused by the flood," said the senior official of the state disaster management authority.

Experts warned that Chungthang could be hit if Lhonak lake bursts.

A report prepared by the Sikkim's disaster management authority in 2020 hinted that in case of a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) at Lhonak Lake, towns lower down in the Teesta Valley such as Chungthang, Dikchu, Singtam and Rangpo may be hit.

Satellite images showed that the town developed rapidly at the confluence of Lachen and Lachung rivers, where the Teesta dam was built, and has grown faster since the dam construction started in 2009.

The images show that the entire green buffer zone on the banks of two rivers vanished and was replaced by residential and commercial establishments.