The recent glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) disaster in Sikkim has left a trail of devastation. At least 40 people have died and thousands are stranded. As Sikkim reels under the devastating impact, the Sikkimese government has issued another glacial lake burst alert, stating that Shako Cho Lake near Lachen is at the risk of bursting.
The National Disaster Response Force in a press statement said that, while scientists are investigating the exact cause of the flashflood that led to breach of Chungthang dam and drastically increased the water level of the Teesta river, the primary reason for the sudden surge appears to be a likely combination of excess rainfall and a GLOF at south Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim.
GLOFs can have devastating consequences, including flashfloods and downstream damage to communities, infrastructure, and the environment, as seen in Sikkim. Satellite images received from the ISRO reveal the draining out of more than half the south Lhonak Lake. The CWC’s monitoring stations revealed that the first surge of water was 19 metres above the maximum water level at Sangkalang at 01:30 hrs and 4 metres above the maximum water level at Melli at 04:00 hrs. The consequences are devastation everywhere.
For years, experts have been warning about the danger of GLOF while discouraging dams in the fragile Himalayan region. All these warning were disregarded, resulting in death and displacement.
Learning from the current disaster, the state and its agencies must improve early warning system and stop all dam building activities.