A cloudburst caused Sikkim’s Lhonak Lake to overflow and cause flash floods in the Teesta River, so nearly 65 percent of the lake, about 105 hectares was drained.
The bullet-shaped lake was photographed on September 17 and September 28. The photos show the lake holding 162.7 and 167.4 hectares, respectively. Temporal satellite images, also known as before-and-after images, show dramatic changes in the amount of water in the lake.
An image taken at 6 AM on Wednesday morning shows the lake reduced by more than half, with only an estimated 60.3 hectares of water in it. This was after the cloudburst and flash flood caused havoc in the state, destroying significant portions of a hydroelectric project and leaving 49 people missing.
“Temporal changes in the lake area – as on September 17, September 28, and October 4. It is observed the lake is burst and about 105 hectares has been drained out, which might have created a flash flood downstream… will continue monitoring the lake using the satellite data,” ISRO said.
According to officials, three bodies were discovered hundreds of kilometres downstream in north Bengal, the flood has claimed at least eight lives. According to Mahendra Chettri, district officer for Gangtok, the remaining five were discovered in the state’s Golitar and Singtam regions.
There are 23 soldiers who are missing. A joint rescue effort has been launched by the Army and local authorities. According to PTI, 45 people have been rescued while 18 have sustained injuries.
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