Continuous rainfall over the past few days has severely affected road connectivity across Sikkim, while the flood situation in North Bengal has started improving following a significant reduction in rainfall since Monday night.
The worst-hit stretch remains the 20th Mile section of national highway 10 near Bardang, the principal road connecting Siliguri with Sikkim via Kalimpong. The highway remained inaccessible on Tuesday after fresh landslides hampered restoration work. Large quantities of debris continued to cover the road, forcing stranded travellers to cross the affected stretch on foot. Vehicular movement remained suspended owing to safety concerns, while restoration work was repeatedly interrupted by fresh landslides triggered by continuous rain.
Although roads under Gangtok district remained largely clear, several important routes across the state continued to remain blocked.
The Rhenock-Pedong road has been blocked at Katarey in neighbouring West Bengal, while the Rorathang-Rangpo road also remained closed. In North Sikkim, the Mangan-Chungthang road via Toong Naga has been blocked near Chungthang, while the Chungthang-Lachen road remained cut off at Taramchu.
In South and West Sikkim, the Ravangla-Yangang road remained blocked at Gogunay, while the Phongla-Bermoik road has been closed at Bedghari. The Sopakha-Chiwabhanjang road also remained blocked. Meanwhile, the Sombaria-Jorethang road via Tharpu and the Soreng-Jorethang road via Malbasey have been closed for maintenance of the steel bridge over the Chudharey Khola.
Authorities have advised commuters to avoid non-essential travel on the affected routes and follow official traffic advisories until restoration work is completed.
On the other hand, the flood situation across North Bengal showed marked improvement on Tuesday as rainfall eased and sunny weather prevailed across most parts of the region.
According to senior officials, water levels in almost all major rivers originating in the hills of Sikkim, Bhutan and the Darjeeling Himalayas have started receding due to reduced rainfall in the catchment areas.
The flow of the Teesta River also declined considerably. At the Teesta Barrage at Gajoldoba, the water discharge on Tuesday was around 1,500 cumecs (cubic metres per second), nearly half of Monday’s discharge, indicating a steady improvement in the flood situation.
A senior engineer monitoring the flood situation said the water levels in both the Brahmaputra Basin and the Ganga Basin are currently below the danger level, allowing rainwater flowing down from the hills to drain out smoothly. He explained that West Bengal’s river system is governed by three major basins ~ the Brahmaputra, the Ganga and the Subarnarekha ~ and since water levels in these basins remain below the danger mark, excess water is being discharged efficiently through the river network.
Officials said the flood situation is no longer alarming, though monitoring is continuing as weather conditions may change.