By Salma El-Sakka
Thousands of people have been evacuated and cross-border alerts issued after a glacial lake outburst in northern Bhutan sent floodwaters cascading into India's West Bengal and Assam states.
Evacuations and Alerts in West Bengal and Assam
More than 10,000 residents were evacuated from West Bengal's Alipurduar district on Thursday evening, with schools converted into relief shelters. India's water ministry issued a special advisory warning that floodwater would reach the border within six to eight hours. West Bengal's minister of state for home and hill affairs, Bishal Lama, said a red alert had been sounded for parts of the Dooars floodplain near the Sankosh River. Forest minister Manoj Kumar Oraon urged evacuations via social media, warning the surge could reach Kumargram within 90 minutes. By Friday morning the flow had eased slightly, but the red alert remained in force.
Damage in Bhutan and Downstream Impact
The outburst occurred at Shintaphu Lake, below Wakila Mountain in Gasa district, releasing nearly 7.4 million cubic metres of water — equivalent to about 3,000 Olympic swimming pools. Bhutan's state broadcaster BBS reported people were moved to safety and some infrastructure damaged, but no deaths or injuries were reported as of Friday morning. The flood washed away the Gasa Tshachu hot spring complex and damaged the Punakha-Gasa highway, according to Daily Bhutan. Shintaphu Lake feeds the Mo Chhu river, which flows into the Punatsangchhu and enters India as the Sankosh River.
Officials Monitor Situation, Recall Nepal Disaster
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said authorities were monitoring vulnerable areas in Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts, with teams in contact with the National Disaster Response Force. The event comes two months after a glacial collapse in Nepal's Langtang Lirung mountain killed more than 1,400 people. Bhutan's official list identifies 17 potentially dangerous glacial lakes, though the cause of this outburst has not been disclosed.
