The massive earthquake that struck Nepal, tremors of which were felt in India’s national capital Delhi, may have been the reason behind the sudden outburst of the south Lhonak lake in Sikkimcausing a flash flood in Teesta River Basin.
Scientists are exploring the possibility of connecting the geological events, as both Nepal and Sikkim are situated on the young-fold Himalayas that is understood to be still rising, causing tremors over the years.
Wednesday’s disaster in Sikkim also led to the breach of the Chungthang is alivethe biggest hydropower project in the state. It is part of the 1,200 megawatts (MW) Teesta Stage III Hydro Electric Project in which the state government is the majority stakeholder.
Satellite images released by Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre showed that the area of the south Lhonak lake reduced by over 100 hectares when compared to its extent on September 17, indicating the lake outburst triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River basin in north Sikkim.
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According to officials, at least eight people died and 70, including 23 army personnel, are missing.
“Earthquake that hit Nepal might be a cause of flash floods in Sikkim. The lake was already vulnerable and was spread across 168 hectares. Its area has now reduced 60 hectares, so about 100 hectares of volume of water has breached the level,” a senior official at the Central Water Commission (CWC) told news agency PTI.
Some experts who have been to the site think that the earthquake might have triggered the floods there.
He said the flood alerts were also shared with Bangladesh.
The NRSC satellite imagery showed that the lake was spread over approximately 162.7 hectares. Its area increased to 167.4 hectares on September 28 and drastically reduced to 60.3 hectares.
“In this satellite data, it is found that lake area is reduced drastically when compared with September 17 2023RISAT 1A MRS satellite data,” an NRSC report read.
Sikkim has 733 glacial lakes of which 288 are above the altitude of 5,000 metres, according to NRSC.
Four earthquakes, the strongest being of magnitude 6.2, jolted Nepal in quick succession on Tuesday with tremors reverberating through parts of India.
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Updated: 04 Oct 2023, 09:22 PM IST
