Landslides shut north sikkim highway

Nirmal Mangar TT, 2 Aug 2016: North Sikkim Highway that connects Chungthang to the rest of the state was shut on Monday night after rainfall for over 24 hours triggered landslides in at least three spots along the road. 

The highway is the only link to Chungthang, from where arterial roads lead to Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang and other places. 

According to Gangtok-based meteorologist G.N. Raha, areas around Mangan in North district received about 97.44mm of rain between Sunday and Monday night. 

“The rainfall recorded can be classified as ‘heavy’. More rainfall is likely to occur,” he said. BRO officials said more than 100 workers had been engaged to repair the road. 

A landslide at Ambithang village, around 35km from Gangtok, damaged the North Sikkim Highway on Monday. North district collector Karma Bonpo said it would take around three days to repair the stretch between Gangtok and Mangan — a distance of 74km. 

The alternative road through Singtam and Dikchu is longer and is in a bad condition, sources said. 

A landslide at Rafong Khola, around 10km from North district headquarters Mangan, blocked the highway. 

“Almost 200m of the road has been damaged,” Bonpo said. He added that the repair would take at least two weeks. 

Pictures by Prabin Khaling

A portion of North Sikkim Highway was washed away after a landslide at Lanthay Khola in North Sikkim. Bonpo said the slide occurred around 11pm on Monday and it would take a couple of days to restore the road