Bordered by Bhutan, Tibet, West Bengal and Nepal; Sikkim is home to glaciers, thousands of varieties of wildflowers and alpine meadows. Being the second smallest state in India, and home to the highest peak in India (third highest in the world) – Kanchenjunga. Every year a large number of people are affected by natural disasters such as landslides, river bank erosion and floods.
Sikkim is home to India’s lowest populated state, right after Goa. It is also India’s third-richest state (after Delhi and Chandigarh). It is known to be the cleanest state in India, a fully organic state, has had the longest-serving Chief Minister, a state which has been the second largest to globally produce cardamom, has two of the highest lakes in India, has the highest number of glaciers at a total of 84, has the second largest population of Gurkhas, is home to one of the hottest chillies in the world – Dalle Khorsani.
On 4th October 2023, a cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim which resulted in a flash flood in the Teesta River in Lachen Valley. At least 14 people have died due to this incident and 102 have been missing. While the flood started at 1:30 AM, it became even worse because of the water released by Chungthang Dam.
Although this cloudburst happened in a tiny hilly state, it has created a lot of commotion across the country. Over 3,000 tourists from different parts of the country have been stranded in different parts of the state and the road infrastructure has suffered extensive damage due to the flooding, with 14 bridges collapsing and 9 of them being under Border Roads Organization (BRO) and 5 others belonging to the state Government. Several towns such as Singtam, Dikchu and Rangpo which are located in the Teesta basin have also been flooded.
All schools have been declared closed till October 8th, 2023. 25 relief camps have been set up for all those people who have been forced to flee from their homes in the aftermath of the floods. Troops of the Trishakti Corps are extending medical aid and telephone connectivity to civilians and tourists.
With the number of casualties and destruction caused due to these floods, how long will it take for Sikkim to rebuild itself?
