Sikkim has intensified disaster preparedness with early warning systems, high-altitude rescues, and regular drills.
Following the 2023 GLOF, the state launched a risk reduction strategy, trained hundreds in rescue operations.
It also engaged communities in evacuation planning to tackle floods, landslides and changing rainfall patterns.
As the Eastern Himalayan region reels from the impact of climate change, Sikkim has gone all out in terms of disaster preparedness and management, coupled with early warning systems. The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), which happened in October 2023 at South Lhonak Lake, was a major trigger point in this regard.
Massive floods and high volumes of rainfall usually trigger landslides in mountainous areas, such as the recent flood in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The western Himalayas receive more rainfall compared to the eastern part, which remains comparatively drier.
To cope with disasters, the state is now focusing on high-altitude rescues, including ropeway rescues, in collaboration with the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force. These trainings continue beyond the monsoon period.
Gangtok collector Tushar Nikhare said drills on rapid rescue and evacuation of trapped people are conducted every quarter. “Evacuation is carried out whenever there is a rise in the water level, especially during the monsoon season. So, disaster drills are common and femex (familiarisation exercises) are conducted across schools.”
The local administration also issues alerts and continuously monitors for disaster risk, he added. “We have dedicated Whatsapp groups to reach out to people, including the police force.”
The serialised events cover a range of objectives, the officer informed. A disaster drill organised at the site of the upcoming permanent NIT campus at Khamdong, for instance, focused on learning how to channnelise the joras (natural streams) in the area. This can come handy during heavy rainfall events when some waterbodies swell dangerously, making students on the campus vulnerable.
After the 2023 flash flood, Sikkim came up with a GLOF risk reduction strategy focused on risk assessment and early warning systems. For this, ground-level forces have been mobilised.
Disaster management cadres — assistants, supervisors and coordinators — are thoroughly and regularly trained and deployed for rescue services. Recently, some 250 such cadres from Gangtok were trained in high-altitude rescue operations.
Prabhakar Rai, director of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA), informed that early warning systems in the form of automated weather stations have been installed at vulnerable lakes that transmit data to the authority. The Central Water Commission also provides SSDMA with water discharge information on a regular basis.
“As the state, situated in the vulnerable seismic zone IV, has been witnessing the impacts of climate change since the past two decades, preparing people on awareness, mobilisation and preparedness on GLOFs and landslides is always on,” Rai said.
About 28 disaster drills have been conducted across the state in the past two years. Last year, an annual state-level mock drill focused on a GLOF scenario.
Additionally, a participatory rural appraisal exercise was conducted at 19 vulnerable locations along the River Teesta basin. Evacuation maps and awareness campaigns on GLOF-based scenarios were prepared with the help of the community.
The changing rainfall pattern, like heavy precipitation within a short time, triggers flash floods. Raghu Murtugudde, emeritus professor, University of Maryland, and retired professor at IIT-Bombay, informed that mountains can produce heavy rains and cloudbursts, triggering landslides. “So, protecting the ecosystem is about having a good sense of risks and being prepared for such risks; and having in place risk mitigation measures and strategies to recover from disasters.”
Apart from femex exercises in schools, students are also encouraged to analyse daily weather updates wherever possible. At PM SHRI Government Senior Secondary School in Soreng district of Western Sikkim, an automatic weather monitoring instrument has been installed on the roof top to prepare monthly and daily weather updates, principal Purna Bahadur Chhetri told Down To Earth.
“The gadget installed three years ago helps students stay updated regarding daily rainfall, temperature and wind direction. It helps us understand climatic conditions and trends,” Chhetri shared.
Geography teacher of Chhetri’s school Roshan Rai, who teaches Classes 11 and 12, informed that he received training to handle and operate the weather gadget. “It is helpful to spread knowledge with this instrument among students who can have a hands-on training. But sometimes, it develops a glitch and then technicians have to visit to fix the equipment.”
Continuous and heavy rainfall that the region received in 2025 is unusual, Chhetri added. “Changing rainfall patterns are a sure indication of climate change with certain areas receiving heavy rainfall now compared to others.”
With the weather anomalies so palpable, the state's push for disaster preparedness is reassuring, he admitted.