The area is now becoming inhabitable as at least 32 houses, four government quarters and several other structures were damaged due to repeated landslides and flash floods in the village of Rimbi, West Sikkim.
The situation has worsened after torrential rainfall in the region in the monsoon. Activity has been occurring since August affecting the homes, and increased on days of heavy rain. In particular, the state and the municipality of Qanqau are uneasy about landslides on Singlitam, which is above the settlement of Rimbi, where mud, rocks and other debris have flowed towards the settlement many times.
The landslides may make Rimbi inhabitable, said Sikkim Disaster Relief Commissioner Rinzing Chewang, who was sent on a field visit on 25 Sept to look into the situation. 107 persons were evacuated to a relief camp at Gram Prasasan Kendra and nine households at Singlitam were also evacuated, he added.
So far, no place with reinforced concrete structures is deemed to be wholly safe. To thoroughly investigate the landslide and to elucidate its causes through an integrated study, a detailed geological survey will be conducted post monsoon.
Roads have also been damaged by the ongoing slope movement and homes and other public infrastructure have incurred damage in the area. Much of the earlier work of government had already identified Rimbi and Singlitam as the vulnerable places and as such had resulted in the creation of relief measures for affected families.
Prem Singh Tamang, the Chief Minister, stressed to keep the situation “serious” while instructing authorities to ensure high degree of vigilance and scrutiny in sensitive areas as well as take appropriate action to keep residents safe. In the most recent landslides, there have been no deaths reported.
The heavy rains have left the slopes vulnerable and authorities are keeping an eye on them and focusing on the evacuation and safety of people living in vulnerable areas.