Gangtok: After recording its hottest September on record, Sikkim has now been hit by continuous rainfall over the past three days. In the last 96 hours, the state received 254.6 mm of rainfall as of 8:30 am on Saturday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which has been issuing red and orange alerts every three hours.
The heavy downpour has triggered multiple landslides and caused a sharp rise in the water level of the Teesta River. The river’s swelling has submerged sections of National Highway 10 in low-lying areas such as Teesta Bazar in North Bengal.
The rising Teesta prompted authorities to evacuate residents from Singtam, near the river’s banks in Gangtok district, on Friday night. Authorities used public announcements to urge locals to stay away from the river.
In South Sikkim, road blockages were reported at Melli Bazar, while Birik Dara on the Bengal side of NH 10 witnessed a major landslide, forcing commuters from Siliguri to Gangtok to take an alternate route via Darjeeling.
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In Soreng district, landslides in the Daramdin constituency damaged 17 houses on Friday night. Similarly, a landslide at Kumrek hamlet disrupted routes connecting Pakyong district to Rangpo.
In Mangan district, the heavy rainfall caused an old bridge at Rangrang to collapse on Friday, with landslides also being reported from the area. In the district’s alpine regions, such as Thangu, the drop in temperatures brought the first snowfall of the season.
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