Gangtok: The Inter-Ministerial Central Team led by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Anant Kishore Saran on Wednesday left for the national capital after completing the assessment of the extent of damage caused by flash floods in Sikkim, an official said.
The central team members were seen off at the airport by the Relief Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Anil Raj Rai, and senior officers of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA).
During their three-day visit, the central team was briefed by Chief Secretary V B Pathak about large-scale damage to road infrastructure, telecommunication network, displacement of people and fatalities due to flash floods in Teesta river basin areas in four districts following a cloudburst on Lhonak lake in North Sikkim on October 4.
This deadly flash flood in the north-east state of Sikkim shows why India urgently needs to install advanced early warning systems for its dangerous glacial lakes, experts say.
At least 70 people – including nine soldiers – have died, and more than 100 others are missing after South Lhonak, a glacial lake in the Himalayas, burst its banks last week.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian Air Force continued its HADR mission to transport 203 stranded tourists to a relatively safer location. Easter Air Command IAF tweeted to confirm the news.
Such outbursts – or the sudden release of water from a lake fed by a glacier – can be triggered by heavy rains, earthquakes or avalanches.
An early warning system can help authorities evacuate people in time and open the flood gates from dams downstream to minimise damage.