Thousands of villagers in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district had to be safely evacuated and relocated to higher ground and emergency shelters from Thursday evening, while Jalpaiguri remained on high alert following a warning from Bhutan about a possible breach in a glacial lake.
The river suddenly turned black late on Friday night, and a huge number of dead fish began flowing downstream from the Bhutan side, according to locals. which flows along the Assam-Bengal border, is normal at present, the sudden influx of a large number of dead fish has caused a commotion in the area Although the water level in the Sankosh River.
We have witnessed similar flash floods in Nepal, where many people lost their lives, a memory that remains vivid for us. Vikash Thapa, another resident of the forest village, went to the riverbank in the early hours of Saturday after hearing from someone that the colour of the Sankosh River had turned black. Some had gone out of the village for work. Women and elderly people were among those evacuated. Our village is the last village on the Indo-Bhutan border. Sankosh Forest Village is far removed from the city lights. For instance, we have received reports that a glacial lake in Bhutan has developed a breach. As soon as the alarm was raised, we were gripped by panic, and everyone in the village began to flee their homes. With the help of the administration and the collective effort of all the villagers, we managed to escape to safety. Every year, during the flood season, this village becomes submerged. We have repeatedly urged the administration to construct a permanent, reinforced embankment here. The force of the Sankosh River’s current is terrifying. Evacuating women and children was the most difficult task. Everyone urged us to take whatever belongings we could and flee. At first, I panicked, wondering how we would manage to get the children out safely. But the villagers helped us, and we were able to escape. Even now, we live in constant fear of a flash flood. We had to evacuate people from the riverbanks. One thing that proved beneficial for the Indian border areas was that, as there are many rivers in North Bengal, the water was divided among them and flowed towards Assam. However, the administrations in both districts remain on alert. People have been advised not to enter the rivers.”
The situation has become even more critical due to the constant threat of flash floods. Thapa told NDTV, “Nearly 1,200 to 1,500 people had to be evacuated from our village. After the administration sounded the alarm, we sped up the evacuation, which was completed within 30 minutes. This remote village, located at least 800 kilometres from Kolkata and 150 kilometres from Siliguri, comes under Kalchini in Alipurduar district. “To prevent riverbank erosion, we constructed a barrier along the boundary in 2025 using bamboo and timber; however, it has proven insufficient.
Surrounded by mountains and tea gardens, the village rarely experiences such flash floods, villagers said. Vinod Kumar said, “We remain deeply concerned. The local population is already living under the looming shadow of erosion; should a sudden flash flood occur, this settlement, along with the riverside tea gardens nestled against the hills and a vast stretch of the surrounding forest, could be obliterated in a matter of seconds,” Dorjee said. Manika Subba said, “We were terrified that night. West Bengal minister Nishit Pramanik, speaking about the impact of the floods, said, “Two districts in North Bengal, including Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, are on high alert.
