(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Lachen and Lachung in Sikkim are expected to witness spells of light to moderate rain and thundershowers in the afternoon and evening, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).The weather bureau added that wind speeds of 5-10 kmph and valley fog in some areas are likely in the afternoon. It also expects partly cloudy skies to become generally cloudy towards the afternoon or evening. The maximum temperature could hover in the range of 14-16°C and could fall to a minimum 7-9 °C Wednesday to Saturday, the IMD expects cloudy skies and one or two spells of light rain or thundershowers during the early hours. While a moderate wind speed of 5-10 km/ph along with valley fog in some areas is predicted on Wednesday, light wind (less than 5 kmph) and valley fog in some areas towards the afternoon or evening are foreseen between Thursday and Saturday, the met department said in its special weather forecast for Sikkim, Lachen and Lachung are expected to get 2.5 to 64.4 mm of rainfall. In the 24 hours that ended at 8 am today, Sikkim received 38.3 mm of precipitation, 539% more than the benchmark long period average (LPA). From 1-9 October, the state got 206% above-normal rainfall at 196.1 mm.A cloudburst in the early hours of 4 October over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim caused a flash flood in the Teesta River in Lachen Valley. The outflow from a glacier-lake outburst in Sikkim has destroyed the Chungthang dam, which is critical to the Teesta 3 hydropower project, and rendered several hydropower projects along the river dysfunctional, the flash flood disrupted Sikkim's major highway, National Highway 10, with damage to the road surface and bridges across the Teesta River. Efforts are underway to open and widen the stretch between Rangpo and Singtam. It destroyed 13 bridges in the state, with eight bridges getting washed away in Mangan district alone. Three bridges were destroyed in Gangtok and two in Namchi Indian government was planning to launch the first early-warning systems for glacial floods at Lhonak Lake and another at nearby Shako Cho in Sikkim, before expanding to other dangerous lakes flash flood reportedly affected 60,870 lives. According to the latest reports, 33 bodies have been recovered from the slush and debris, including nine army personnel. The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) reported that a total of 105 people were missing. West Bengal's Jalpaiguri has also reported the recovery of 40 bodies downstream of the Teesta River.
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