Sikkim flood: Torrential rains wreak havoc; CM appealed to stay indoors

Sikkim, Oct 20: Torrential rain past 3 days in Sikkim has badly affected normal life. In Sikkim there were several reported cases of a landslide following which road connectivity was crippled badly, Tributaries draining down to Teesta were running in high volume swelling up the main Teesta River which overtook nearby riverside like never before.

There was reportedly a waterlogged situation in parts of Siliguri however later situation there turned normal. Mahanand river which is also the Major River of North Bengal swelled up as the water level in Teesta frantically increased.

There were situations of the Teesta river flowing outward reaching Highway in Teesta, Triveni.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has appealed to the people to stay indoors during the incessant rains in the state. Roadblocks and landslides at various places.

Torrential rain in North Bengal and Sikkim has caused landslides at various places and disrupted traffic movement on key roads even as the low-pressure system that developed over the Gangetic Basin in the southern part of West Bengal. With the rest of the Northeast continuing to witness extreme heat, Sikkim is facing torrential rains for the past few days.

Road connectivity between Siliguri and Sikkim-Kalimpong snapped after a landslide on NH 10 in the 29th Mile area of Kalimpong, 40km from Siliguri prompting both city authorities to restrict the movement of goods vehicles. Small vehicles were diverted to Coronation Bridge, Teesta, and Rungpo. The road in Darjeeling which was completely blocked saw traffic slowly trickling by evening.


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Also, there were landslip incidents reported on some roads like the Takdah-Tinchulay connection through Rangli Rangliot.

Aneet Thapa, who is leading a faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, announced a helpline for locals and tourists to deal with any untoward incident due to rain.

The Siliguri Police Commissionerate issued an advisory in view of the adverse weather forecast and asked everyone to avoid non-essential travel ‘as much as possible.

Sikkim’s rains have dealt a devastating blow to even the farmers of the state who were close to harvesting their crops. Many farmers have complained about how the entire year’s crop was ruined due to the destruction of standing crops due to rain.

Across the Sikkim, various roads have been blocked or cut off by landslides and there have been isolated incidents of boulders falling. One such incident in Bikmat, South Sikkim, claimed the lives of two individuals, as the boulders smashed a car.


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The Sikkim rains have also dealt a devastating blow to state farmers who were close to harvesting their crops. Many farmers have complained how the entire years’ harvest had been ruined after rains flattened standing crops.

The commuters after the Dasain festival, including tourists coming to Sikkim, reported a landslide at 20th Mile near Rangpo, East Sikkim, resulting in people taking alternative routes to reach Gangtok.