21 Sep: Detailed report of Earthquake

21 Sep: Detailed report of Earthquake
IPR

Sikkim Earthquake,18 Sep 2011

The latest figures pertaining to the death toll is 68 persons dead as on 21.09.2011 at 10:30 hours. The break up district-wise is as follows:-

North – 51
East – 12
South- 01
West – 04
Total- 68

The total number of persons injured is over 300.

The number of houses and buildings that have collapsed is now estimated at over 2000. Number of partially damaged houses is around one lakh. The buildings damaged include school buildings, panchayat ghars, BDO offices, hospitals, primary health centres and also private houses.

Roads
There has been much damage inflicted on the road infrastructure. The National Highway 31-A which was closed very recently has now been opened. The road to North Sikkim has been restored upto the District headquarters, Mangan. The road from Mangan to Lingzya in Dzongu has been restored. The roads to Namchi and Jorethang in South Sikkim have also been re-instated. Geyzing in West Sikkim is now accessible by road. The other arterial roads in West and South Sikkim have been partially opened and light and emergency vehicles are reported to be plying.

Power
Power supply in Gangtok has been fully restored. At Mangan in North Sikkim power is reported to be normal. Beyond Mangan there is total disruption of power supply.
In Namchi, South Sikkim the power situation is normal. In Geyzing, West District the power supply is partially restored. The interior regions many of which are still devoid of power and restoration works are underway.

Water Supply
Although the main reservoir at Selep that feeds Gangtok has been severely damaged due to landslides, Water Supply Department has been successful in maintaining uninterrupted flow of drinking water to the city. In order to avoid complete depletion of water reserves the department has worked out a systematic way of distributing water on alternative day basis. The water supply at Mangan is normal, partial at Namchi, shortage of water in Jorethang and Geyzing. Where ever shortages are reported the fire brigade has been deputed to distribute water through tankers in order to circumvent the problem.

Relief Measures
In so far as the relief measures are concerned the District administration is carrying out relief works in full swing and the State Government is now fully in control of the situation.
The worst affected district is the North District where even as of now there is no road communication beyond Mangan. This has severely hampered relief operations. However in pockets where there is no road accessibility helicopters have been deployed to air drop food supplies, medicine and other essential commodities.
Even today 43 tourists who were stranded in Lachung in North district have been airlifted to Mangan and are en-route to Gangtok. There are reports of some more persons stranded in various parts of the district and all measures are being taken to evacuate them.
In the Dzongu area of North District, fresh landslides and casualties are being reported and the district officials have proceeded on foot to give relief. Air dropping of food and ration are also underway.
The District Collectors have been provided with funds at their disposal to make necessary dispensations wherever required. Control Room in all 4 districts have been set up and relief camps are also in place. 4 Senior Secretaries have been assigned the responsibility of relief operations in various Districts and they have already reached their respective Districts and are carrying out relief work.
NGO bodies have also volunteered their help. The Rotary Club have been reported to be sending shelter-kits, utensils and clothes to North Sikkim. Various other NGO bodies are working round the clock in helping the District administration in relief operations.
The Chief Minister is visiting North Sikkim tomorrow i.e. 22. 09. 2011 where he will be personally monitoring and giving relief measures to the victims. Thereafter he is slated to also visit South and West Districts to oversee relief measures. Senior Secretaries have been assigned the responsibility of relief operations in the Districts. The State Police officials have been assisting the NDRF and the army including the ITBP in carrying out rescue and relief measures particularly in North Sikkim.