It has been quite truly said that Mother Nature is the most unpredictable in her ways. Still, with the advent of immense science and technology for decades now, human beings have always felt that establishing control over nature seems to be their birthright. However, no matter how much modern technology has been used in the past or will be used in the future, it is practically impossible for mortal beings to understand nature, let alone establish control over it. No wonder the most nourishing Mother sometimes decides to turn to her violent form to remind us that we are mere helpless individuals in front of the might and the supremacy of the divine energy that surrounds us.

In a recent turn of events, obviously, for the worse, it seems that the calm and picturesque north-eastern state of Sikkim, famously known as one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ of the north-eastern region of India, came under the destructive rage of nature as it has been struck by a devastating flash flood that had originated from a severe cloud burst over the Lhonak Lake and the releasing of water from the Teesta river dam. Disorienting the state totally, the flash flood has caused severe damage to the state, including the loss of several lives and reported cases of people going missing. As the state remains geographically severed from the rest of the Indian landmass, it intensifies its struggle to grapple with the basic means of sustenance.

‘Water Water Everywhere, ’

This line from the ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by the famous English poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge can be easily quoted this time to describe the perilous situation that this north-eastern sister of India is going through right at this moment. It has been reported in various national as well as local dailies that on the fateful night of 4^th October this year, which was a Wednesday, the Lhonak Lake in Sikkim started to overflow following a major cloudburst in the state that had caused a massive downpour, causing the lake to flood. This disastrous apocalypse has affected almost an estimated 2000 lives with more numbers on their way to get revealed as scrutiny and rescue operations are being undertaken on a large scale. It has been revealed in a report that has been published by the local weather department that the state has received more than 101 mm (millimetre) or 4 inches of rainfall over the past five days in this ongoing month of October which has been calculated to be double the expected levels of rainfall that the state would generally receive at around this time of the month. Added to this massive flash flood that has taken place, the flood situation has been exacerbated by the constant release of water from the state-operated National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC)’s ‘Teesta V Dam’. As per a report that has been published by the local authorities, four gates of the dam have been swept away in the flood current with investigations going on to determine, why the gates of the dam were not opened, when it was necessary to do so. This incident has brought in the memories of another devastating flood that had taken place in the year 1968 in October in, which more than 1000 lives were claimed. Top state bureaucrat Vinay Pathak revealed that more than 18 corpses have been recovered so far with searches for many still ongoing.

The Brave Hearts Face Peril

Tragedy seems to be in a never-ending mode in the ‘Valley of Rice’ as the state is commonly known due to the abundance in the production of rice in the state, with the latest news revealing that almost 23 soldiers have been washed away while they were on a rescue mission to help the stranded local people in the state. In a positive outcome, the officials from the neighbouring state of West Bengal have claimed that one of the soldiers could be rescued, thereby, bringing the number of missing personnel from the Indian army down to 22.

Locals Dwell with Scarcity of Resources

As per the reports that have been published by local authorities, the state is currently grappling with a deep scarcity of important resources such as fuel and proper drinking water facilities disrupted heavily due to the constant downpour that has been continuing for several days. This landlocked state, which is seated comfortably in the laps of the Himalayas between the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and China and wedged in the mountains, is heavily dependent to a certain extent on the neighbouring state of West Bengal, especially, on the city of Siliguri for most of its supplies related to basic sustenance. However, with this flash flood wreaking disaster one after the other on the state, Sikkim has been totally cut off from Siliguri with most of the major arterial roads connecting the city to Sikkim being flooded or blocked by flood and landslides. This has put a big question mark as to how the locals would survive without the basic amenities with scarcity of major resources such as fuel and proper facilities for drinking water. Keeping the situation in view, the personnel of the Indian army have started to set up Bailey bridges to get essential items delivered to the needy as soon as possible. One streak of hope amid the grey cloud of gloom was the ready availability of food that would at least aid in the survival of the locals for some days. However, with the situation degenerating rapidly, it is quite uncertain as to how long would the available ration be sufficient for the people.

Nature Conquers ‘Kham Sum Wangdu’ (The Conqueror of the Three Worlds)

The destroying flood in the state of Sikkim serves as a reminder of the torrential downpours that the Himalayan regions of India have been facing for quite some time now. Whether it is the state of Uttarakhand or Sikkim, recent incidents have shown that deadly landslides and menacing flash floods have sort of become commonplace in the foothills of the Himalayas. These have claimed the lives of several people in the country as well as a lot of damage has been caused to the infrastructure, with geo experts blaming the excessive desire to subdue the nature as one of the main reasons behind these natural calamities. A report that has been recently published in the ‘Nature Communications journal in the month of February has given a rough estimation that some 15 million people living in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent and Peru are susceptible to nature-induced natural disasters, especially, floods. Satellite images that have been published by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have clearly shown how the Lhonak glacier, which is a bullet-shaped glacial structure situated on the lake after, which it is named so, is melting away fast to release water. Thus, the Lhonak Lake disaster has also shown the resilient side of the people to face the calamities with a strong nerve. Hopefully, with the collective struggles of the government and relief organizations working in tandem to revive the state, it is hoped that Sikkim would be recovering fast from this peril. However, it is peremptory for the government of the state to engage in proactive means to readily address the issues of climate change and safety.