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West Bengal, Assam Warned as Shintaphu Lake Bursts

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Shintaphu glacial lake burst, releasing about 74 lakh cubic metres of water into the Sankosh River.
Union Ministry of Jal Shakti warned West Bengal and Assam of flash-flood risk.
West Bengal ministers Bishal Lama and Nisith Pramanik issued alerts and ordered evacuations in the Dooars.
No fatalities occurred because the Gasa Tshachu hot-spring area was evacuated before the outburst.
Debris washed away two bailey bridges and damaged the Punakha-Gasa Highway.

History

On 7 February 2021 a massive rock-ice avalanche in Chamoli, Uttarakhand released about 27 million m³ of debris, flooding the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga valleys, destroying two hydropower plants and killing over 200 people. Scientists linked the event to unusually warm weather and warned that climate-driven glacier melt is expanding Himalayan glacial lakes, a risk also seen in Nepal’s Thulagi basin and Bhutan’s lakes.

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On 7 February 2021 a massive rock-ice avalanche in Chamoli, Uttarakhand released about 27 million m³ of debris, flooding the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga valleys, destroying two hydropower plants and killing over 200 people. Scientists linked the event to unusually warm weather and warned that climate-driven glacier melt is expanding Himalayan glacial lakes, a risk also seen in Nepal’s Thulagi basin and Bhutan’s lakes.

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