States » EastPosted at: Oct 30 2026 4:47PM


Sankosh absorbs Bhutan floodwaters, North Bengal escapes major flooding

Siliguri, Oct 30 (UNI) Floodwaters triggered by a glacial lake outburst in Bhutan flowed through the Sankosh River in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal without causing major flooding, bringing relief to hundreds of people evacuated from vulnerable villages in North Bengal.
Residents who had spent Thursday night in schools and other relief shelters returned to their villages on Friday morning after the immediate threat from the rising river subsided.
The administration had evacuated people from vulnerable forest villages as a precautionary measure following the outburst from Shintaphu Lake in Bhutan.
Chief Engineer (Irrigation and Waterways), Northeast, Krishnendu Bhowmik, said the floodwaters had started passing through the Sankosh from the early hours of Friday.
He was visiting affected areas in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar to assess the situation.
"Based on information from Bhutan's National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), received through the Central Water Commission, we anticipated around 7.4 million cubic metres of water. The outburst occurred nearly 200 km from North Bengal," Bhowmik said.
According to officials, the water level in Bhutan had risen by around 2 to 2.5 metres following the outburst before the excess water flowed downstream towards North Bengal.
However, the Sankosh was able to accommodate the additional water within its natural course.
Bhowmik said the river was flowing at 44 metres, against its High Flood Level (HFL) of 49 metres, leaving a margin of five metres.
"This prevented the situation from developing into a major flood emergency in the two districts," he said.
The flood situation was successfully averted because West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon and North Bengal Development Department Minister Nishit Pramanik had alerted the administration on Thursday night, following which evacuation operations were undertaken in vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, Alipurduar Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Shaw said more than 4,000 people had been shifted to schools, while over 6,000 others had been moved to safer locations on higher ground on Thursday night. Food and shelter arrangements were made for those evacuated.
Bhutan issued an advisory following the October 29 glacial lake outburst, warning of possible further flooding after two artificial lakes formed at Taktsemathang and Taktsi Makhang.
Residents along the Mochhu and Punatsangchhu river valleys were asked to avoid riverbanks and flood-prone areas. UNI MBN/SAG NST RSA
Tags: #Sankosh absorbs Bhutan floodwaters# North Bengal escapes major flooding
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