2023-10-09 22:25:33
The number of flood deaths in Sikkim, India, and northern Bangladesh due to the breach of the wall at the South Lhonak Glacier Lake has risen to more than 90. In Bangladesh, the cross-border Teesta River has flooded dozens of villages, reports the Asian news portal Ucanews.
The eruption has reduced the area of the lake from 160 to 60 hectares, according to Indian media reports. The flash flood also washed away a dam and released around five million cubic meters of water. According to Ucanews, Indian rescue workers, including church workers, are fighting against time and bad weather to rescue thousands of people in Sikkim from the mud using helicopters.
The amount of water in the lake is increasing due to melting glaciers
South Lhonak Lake is a glacial moraine-dammed lake in the Himalayas in the extreme northwest of Sikkim. It was considered one of the fastest growing lakes in the region and one of 14 potentially hazardous lakes vulnerable to Glacial Lake Outbreak Floods (GLOF).
Scientists have been warning for years that the water volume of the lake, located at an altitude of 5,200 meters, is increasing sharply due to the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas as a result of global warming and that a GLOF event is only a matter of time.
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 19 Matthias Rüb, Rome Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 44 Christoph Hein, Attarpur Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 20
According to experts, since July a series of heavy rains with twice as much precipitation as normal had further worsened the situation at Lake Lhonak, which ultimately led to the glacial lake outbreak flood on October 4th. The destroyed dam was a key part of the 1,200-megawatt Teesta Stage III hydropower project, which is important for supplying electricity to Sikkim and West Bengal.
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