Glacial Lake outburst in Bhutan, Bengal and Assam on flash floods warning

THIMPHU: A flash flood warning has been issued in India following the outburst of the Shintaphu Lake in the Gasa district of north-western Bhutan. Shintaphu is a glacial lake. The lake collapsed on Thursday evening. With this, a flood warning was issued for various districts in the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam.

In Bhutan, areas near the Gasa Tsachu (hot springs) located on the banks of the Mo Chhu River in Gasa district were washed away by the floodwaters. However, casualties were avoided as residents in the vulnerable areas had already been evacuated in anticipation of the danger.

The Shintaphu glacial lake, located at the origin of the Mo Chhu river, is considered one of Bhutan's 17 dangerous glaciers. The Gasa Tsachu hot spring area here was also completely washed away and destroyed previously on August 26, 2021. The disaster occurred as the river changed its course at that time.

Bhutan has reported that floodwaters have presently reached Srigang near Kavesa Gewog. Consequently, Bhutan has issued flash flood warnings to its neighboring Indian states, Assam and West Bengal. The floods are expected to affect Dhubri in Assam and the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal. The local administration in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, has already issued warnings to its residents. The alert has been specifically given to people living on the banks of the Sankosh River, which is a tributary of Bhutan's Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu rivers. This river typically flows downstream and merges with the Brahmaputra River in Assam.