FIRST VISUALS: Lachen After Earthquake



People praying at Lachen Monastery



IGP [Law & Order] SD Negi meets Lachenpas outside the monastery at Lachen. The IGP flew into Lachen on Sunday after three frustrating days of aborted flights due to inclement weather. All Lachenpas are safe and no one injured although buildings have taken a bad hit.

 GANGTOK, 26 Sept: IGP SD Negi, landed at Lachen today, establishing face-to-face contact with the cut-off village in North Sikkim. While there had been much heartburn because no official statement had been issued yet on the situation at Lachen, it was confirmed today that this North district town has come out of the 18 Sept earthquake unscathed in as much as no casualties are reported from there even as 18 houses have been substantially damaged here and other structures have suffered damage as well.
The IG spent around half an hour conferring with the people at Lachen at the monastery where everyone has gathered and where special prayers were being held today.
(Now Daily)

Army wants VVIPs kept out of Sikkim till relief and rescue operations

Gangtok: The Army has given an unusual suggestion to the government for improving the relief and rescue operations in earthquake devastated regions of Sikkim - keep VVIPs off the area.

A senior government source said the Army conveyed its suggestion to the defence ministry this weekend, after the Army and IAF were forced to divert significant number helicopters and personnel for visit of various VVIPs. Among those who have already visited the region are Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and home minister P Chidambaram.

The suggestion could put an end to the plans of other Union ministers and senior political leaders to visit Gangtok and other areas of northern Sikkim where the damage has been the worst. The Army on its part is also believed to have decided not to plan a trip by the Army chief or other senior officers to avoid strain on the ongoing rescue operations.

Because of a host of factors, including the remoteness of villages, the rescue and relief operations are heavily dependent on the helicopter fleet of IAF and Army. Between the two forces, there is a fleet of Advance Light Helicopters, Cheetah/Chetak and Mi-17s in the region.

For Chungthang and beyond, the Army maintains ration of 55 days on normal times, as part of its preparedness for the border region. But since the earthquake, this ration is being distributed to local residents. Thus maintaining those ration stocks, reaching aviation fuel, diesel etc to the military formations that are beyond the road cut-off by earthquake are all dependent on helicopters.

An Army official said personnel of 33 Corps has reached almost all villages, but in many villages they found only rubble. It could be due to the residents migrating to nearest road-heads, or other villages, or there could be worse than assessed disaster buried in those villages, he admitted.

Over 90 people have been killed and a few hundred injured in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck on September 18.

SPCC wants SDF Govt to treat the people of Lachen in equal terms as any other Sikkimese

SDF condemns allegations, says it is a desperate attempt to tarnish its popularity
GANGTOK, August 12: Reacting over the recent memorandum submitted to the President of India by the people of Lachen about the “SDF Government’s discriminating the people of Lachen”, the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) has demanded the State Government to “realize its responsibility and act as a democratically established institution duly honouring the principle of democracy in both letter and spirit and treat the people of Lachen in equal terms as any other Sikkimese.”
A party release issued by Kunga Nima Lepcha, SPCC, general secretary (media and spokesperson) states that “SDF’s atrocities on the down-trodden Sikkimese have reached its Nadir, with the memorandum of the people of Lachen submitted to the President of India as an evidence.”
Referring to the memorandum submitted to the President of India, the release points out that the “SDF Government has been constantly discriminating the people of Lachen by depriving them from all kinds of developmental schemes.” The release further said that the people Lachen have to live a harsh life in hostile climatic condition which compels them to live like nomads.
“The oppressive and extreme discriminative attitude of the State Government coupled with the step-motherly treatment of the SDF Government executed through its Ministers, MLAs and the State Government officials has driven the Lachenpas to such an extreme that they have started questioning whether they belong to India, the country they have endeared so much as their own motherland and are ready to lay down their lives in her defense. They have represented to the President of India for establishing their citizenship.” reads the release.
The release further said that the “depressed Lachenpas have expressed their anguish on the economic deprivation unleashed on them by the autocratic SDF Government under the leadership of Pawan Chamling as its Chief Minister. They have prayed to the President for restoration of their democratic rights or else they should be permitted to go to Tibet/China in the event their citizenship is ascertained as Tibetan/Chinese. They have expressed that they could no longer tolerate to see their family members suffering from want of bare minimum necessities.”
“Sikkim is a part and parcel of the Union of India. As such the people living within the boundary of Sikkim including the Lachenpas are, without an iota of doubt the citizens of India. They are entitled to all the benefits of the developmental schemes or programs. Any act of discrimination towards the people of Sikkim shall go to violate the Fundamental Rights so guaranteed by the Constitution. Besides, even the provision of the Human Rights. Act, 1948 confers that every citizen on earth has the right to live a dignified life,” the release further read.
On the other hand, the SDF has today condemned all the allegations. Terming it as an attempt made by Kunga Nima Lepcha to defame the popularity of SDF Government, a party release states that the ruling SDF government has always been proactive in safeguarding the people of Sikkim irrespective of caste, creed, religion and topography.
The party has at the same time urged the people not to get carried away by such rumour. The ruling party has also said that the allegations were nothing but a desperate attempt of the SPCC to tarnish the image of SDF party after their shameful defeat in the recent general election

RURAL TOURISM PROJECT FOR NORTH SIKKIM

New Delhi, August 31: The Minister of Tourism & Culture Ambika Soni has stated Rs 50 lakhs has been released in 2004-05 for Rural Tourism Project in Lachen of North District in Sikkim. The Minister also stated that Rs 20 lakhs has been sanctioned for capacity building for rural tourism out of which Rs 16 lakhs was released to Sikkim. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today the Minister said that the implementation of the sanctioned project is the responsibility of the State Government.

She said the Ministry of Tourism monitors the progress of the projects including rural tourism from time to time

SIBLAC SEE SIGNS OF GUARDIAN DEITIES'S ANGER

Nature's Fury Unleashed On North Sikkim

Gangtok , Aug27 :A press release from SIBLAC warns of dangers God's fury in context of recent flash flood in Lachen Chu just on the occasion of Pang Lhabsol as just another sign of nature's anger to kind of activities pursued by state government in North Sikkim with hydel project policy as the religious and sentiments on environment has been totally side tracked in the name of development.

It is also believed that the flash floods could have been caused due to the burst of Zemu glacier, which is an important glacier of Sikkim. The water level in Teesta river was risen to 40 feet's after floods on Saturday and now it has gone down by 30 feet's .There has been loss of lives as per animals is concerned but no loss of human lives is reported after the incidence.

Locals believe that the entire security of North Sikkim is being damaged by the up coming power projects. Meanwhile, the entire North Sikkim highway has been paralyzed and the road between Lachen and Guru Dongmar, Thangu area has been blocked. It has also disrupted communication between the Army and the civilians who live in the border areas.

This,a SIBLAC press release issued by its convenor Tseten Tashi Bhutia contends,' is apparently the symbol that indicates the wrath of the guardian deities subsequent upon to a different pollutant activities taking place across Sikkim and especially different power projects in Dzongu.

Environment abuse risks nature's revenge and the Dzongu flash floods incident following by LachenChu event should be seen also in light of religious sentiments and importance attached by local communities especially lepchas of Dzongu to Teesta river.

Press release informs that Government should take these strange incidence as warning of future perils that might be caused due to abuse of nature and not respecting historical religious significance therefore it request state government to come forward to on going hunger strike by ACT as it significantly relates to these very issues .

Meanwhile, in another separate communique,ACT echoed similar views and thoughts.

FLASH FLOODS IN THE HIMALAYAS

The Himalayas are one of the youngest mountain ranges on earth and represent a high energy environment very much prone to natural disasters. High relief, steep slopes, complex geological structures with active tectonic processes and continued seismic activities, and a climate characterised by great seasonality in rainfall, all combine to make natural disasters, especially water-induced hazards, common phenomena.
Flash floods are among the more devastating types of hazard as they occur rapidly with little lead time for warning, and transport tremendous amounts of water and debris at high velocity.
Flash floods affect thousands of people in the Himalayan region every year – their lives, homes, and livelihoods – along with expensive infrastructure.
According to a report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), there are several different types of flash flood. The most common include intense rainfall floods (IRF); glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslide dam outburst floods (LDOF), and flash floods caused by rapid snowmelt (RSM) and ice. Failure of dams and other hydraulic structures can also lead to flash floods.
Intense rainfall is the most common cause of fl ash floods in the Himalayan region. These events may last from several minutes to several days. Such events may happen anywhere but are more common to mountain catchments. The main meteorological phenomenon causing intense rainfalls in the region are cloudbursts, stationarity of monsoon trough and monsoon depressions.
Landslide dam outburst
Debris from a landslide can temporarily block the flow of a river creating a reservoir in the upstream reach. The landslide dam can breach due to overtopping and cause huge floods known as landslide dam outburst floods (LDOF).
Glacial lake outburst
The glaciers in the Himalayas are mostly retreating, and as they retreat lakes can form from melt water held in by the now exposed terminal moraine acting as a dam. If the dam breaks the water can be released suddenly resulting in a glacial lake outburst flood.
Impact of climate change
Intense rainfall floods and landslide dam outburst floods are directly related to the hydrometeorological conditions and likely to be affected by climate change.
Climate models project an increase in monsoon precipitation in the region. Similarly the frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall events are also anticipated to. GLOFs are related to glacial retreat which in turn is mainly due to climatic warming. It is therefore very likely that flash floods due to intense rainfall, landslide dam outbursts, and glacial lake outbursts will increase in the future.
Zemu Glacier Complex
Zemu Chhu originates as Poke Chhu from Zemu glacier, which is the largest glacier in Teesta basin and is about 25 km in length Zemu glacier lies on the eastern face of Khangchendzonga peak (8,598 m) and is joined by Simvo and Siniolchu glaciers on its right flank and Nepal Gap and Tent Peak glaciers on its left. It is joined by Hidden glacier on its left. Poke Chhu flows in W-E direction and receives drainange on its left bank from Thomphyak Chhu. Thereafter, it flows as Zemu Chhu to drain into Teesta River near Zema village. This glacier complex is comprised of 6 glaciers covering an area of 113 sq km.