GANGTOK, July 11 - An alert has been sounded in South Sikkim after heavy downpour caused the Teesta river to surge.
A two-day alert has been issued for Adarsh Gaon near Singtam town in South Sikkim as there are houses precariously close to the riverbed in the area, which has caused serious concern among the residents.
The North, East and South district administrations, along with the police and NHPC, are closely monitoring the situation.
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has formed a disaster management committee comprising local volunteers, which is helping the agencies monitor the situation closely, said Abhishek Kharel, an official of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Agency (SDMA).
Discharge of water from the dams in the river makes the situation even more dangerous and poses a serious threat to low-lying areas like Singtam Bazaar and Adarsh Gaon.
�We have set a benchmark for the water level. As and when the water reaches that level, we will go for evacuation,� Kharel added.
The situation at Jorethang, another town in South Sikkim on the bank of the Rangit river, is comparatively normal. However, all revenue surveyors of South district have been alerted as the weather forecast suggests more rain in the next two days.