Landslides cut the villages of Lum and Lingtyang in the Lower Dzongu of North Sikkim (File)
Gangtok:
Heavy rains in the past week have triggered a series of landslides that have disrupted road links in several places between Gangtok and northern Sikkim bordering China, and caused major damage to an NHPC dam in the eastern district, officials said on Saturday.
Landslides have blocked two main roads that connect Gangtok, the state capital, and Mangan, the headquarters of the North Sikkim district, in several places affecting traffic.
Vehicles from Gangtok to Mangan are hijacked via the Dzongu-Sankalang road due to a roadblock in Namok Khola, officials said, adding that restoration work is underway.
A massive landslide severely damaged a dam at the NHPC Teesta Stage-V project site in Apdara in eastern Sikkim, they said.
“The Teesta-V power plant (3×170 MW) is a series of river plans with daytime storage to exploit the hydroelectric potential of the Teesta river for a peak during the lean season,” according to the NHPC.
Landslides have cut off the villages of Lum and Lingtyang in lower Sikkim Dzongu, about 70 km from Gangtok, the rest of the state, officials said.
Continuous rain has also resulted in slips and slips along the North Sikkim Highway, severing road links in several places.
Road communications on several roads such as Mangan-Gangtok, Dikchu-Gangtok and Dikchu-Singtam have been disrupted due to landslides, officials said, adding that the Mangan-Gangtok road has been blocked in Phamtam near Phensong and Ambithang near Mangan.
Likewise, the rocks and boulders stopped the movement of vehicles at several places such as Namok Khola, Tintek Khola and 9th Mile on the Mangan-Singtam road.
The Dikchu-Gangtok road via Pangthang has been blocked in Sokpay for a week because people are taking another route via Samdong-Ipsing.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
