Gangtok, Sept. 7: A series of landslides in the past 24 hours has wrecked Sikkim’s road network, damaged buildings and left large parts of the state without electricity.
A 40m stretch of National Highway 31A was washed away at Mamkhola between Rangpo and Melli this morning, effectively cutting off Sikkim from the rest of the country.
Fed by uninterrupted rain over the past two days, a local stream had swelled up and it swept away the portion of the highway around 10am today. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials working at the spot said they would need at least two-three days to repair the damage.
However, the officials warned that it could take them longer if the weather played up. They said 25 major and minor landslides have hit the highway in the past 24 hours.
Mamkhola lies in the Kalimpong subdivision of Darjeeling district. Traffic on the highway has come to a complete halt following the landslide with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides.
The breach on the highway means it is impossible to drive to Sikkim through the Kalimpong-Peshok road. The other route via Darjeeling and Jorethang has also been damaged by slides. Sikkim has been reeling from a scarcity of essential commodities ever since a landslide near Sevoke blocked NH 31A two weeks ago.
Landslides also hit several state highways, leaving South and West Sikkim virtually isolated. The roads are expected to be cleared by tomorrow.
Around 30 houses at Gurpisey, Tinjir and Hingdam in South district have been damaged and their occupants have had to be evacuated. Two schools in Geyzing, West Sikkim and Chuba Prabing, South Sikkim, have also been damaged.
Power supply has been disrupted in different areas of the state as electric poles were swept away by slides. An 11kv transformer was damaged at Melli, plunging most parts of South Sikkim into darkness.
In Namchi, slush has seeped into the town’s water source and the taps are spluttering out muddy water.
A 40m stretch of National Highway 31A was washed away at Mamkhola between Rangpo and Melli this morning, effectively cutting off Sikkim from the rest of the country.
Fed by uninterrupted rain over the past two days, a local stream had swelled up and it swept away the portion of the highway around 10am today. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials working at the spot said they would need at least two-three days to repair the damage.
However, the officials warned that it could take them longer if the weather played up. They said 25 major and minor landslides have hit the highway in the past 24 hours.
Mamkhola lies in the Kalimpong subdivision of Darjeeling district. Traffic on the highway has come to a complete halt following the landslide with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides.
The breach on the highway means it is impossible to drive to Sikkim through the Kalimpong-Peshok road. The other route via Darjeeling and Jorethang has also been damaged by slides. Sikkim has been reeling from a scarcity of essential commodities ever since a landslide near Sevoke blocked NH 31A two weeks ago.
Landslides also hit several state highways, leaving South and West Sikkim virtually isolated. The roads are expected to be cleared by tomorrow.
Around 30 houses at Gurpisey, Tinjir and Hingdam in South district have been damaged and their occupants have had to be evacuated. Two schools in Geyzing, West Sikkim and Chuba Prabing, South Sikkim, have also been damaged.
Power supply has been disrupted in different areas of the state as electric poles were swept away by slides. An 11kv transformer was damaged at Melli, plunging most parts of South Sikkim into darkness.
In Namchi, slush has seeped into the town’s water source and the taps are spluttering out muddy water.
