Bhutan lake outburst: Alipurduar moves residents to safety

Bhutan lake outburst reports prompted authorities in Alipurduar to move thousands of residents away from vulnerable areas along the Sankosh, with parts of West Bengal and Assam remaining on alert on Friday.

The flooding followed an outburst reported on Thursday evening at Shintaphu Lake in Bhutan's Gasa district. Water travelled through the Mo Chhu catchment towards the river system that becomes the Sankosh in India, according to reports.

Alipurduar Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Shaw said roughly 4,000 to 5,000 people had been accommodated in shelters, including schools. More than 6,000 others had shifted to safer places.

Shaw said the administration was working with Bhutanese authorities and disaster response agencies. Although information from Bhutan indicated some reduction in the force of the water, officials continued their heightened watch.

Sankosh settlements under watch

The Bhutan lake outburst led to particular concern for Kumargram and other riverside areas in the Dooars. Minister Manoj Oraon alerted residents of Kumargram tea estate, Kumargram forest village, Pakriguri and Bholka to the possibility of rising water.

State disaster response personnel were deployed, while national response personnel were being mobilised. Civil Defence teams also joined preparations, and officials arranged drinking water, dry food and sanitation facilities for displaced residents.

A central advisory warned of an abrupt increase in river levels in Alipurduar and Assam's Dhubri district. Assam authorities were also monitoring vulnerable areas and maintaining contact with response agencies.

In Bhutan, reports described damage to the Gasa Tshachu hot springs infrastructure and a road towards Laya. Flood debris also affected the Punakha-Gasa Highway, while an irrigation installation suffered damage. No casualties had been reported in Bhutan, but the full damage assessment was still pending.

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