New Delhi [India], October 30 (ANI): National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Piyush Anand on Friday said there was no cause for concern so far over the reported Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Bhutan, while adding that NDRF teams had been placed on alert and the force was coordinating with relevant agencies.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Anand said the response was being coordinated under a ‘Whole-of-Government Approach’ in accordance with the directives of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“We have received information from that region. Prime Minister and the Home Minister have strict and clear directives to adopt a ‘Whole-of-Government Approach’. We are coordinating with all relevant agencies, including the Central Water Commission (CWC), the India Meteorological Department (IMD). We have placed some of our teams on alert; however, based on the information received so far, there is no cause for concern–though we remain on high alert,” the NDRF DG said.
A Whole-of-Government (WoG) approach is a governance model where different ministries, departments, and public agencies work together–rather than in isolated “silos”–to solve complex, multi-dimensional problems.
His remarks come amid heightened monitoring in Assam and West Bengal following the reported GLOF at Sintaphu Lake in Bhutan’s Gasa district. The Central Water Commission (CWC) had issued a special flood advisory for the two states, warning of a possible sudden rise in water levels in Alipurduar and Dhubri districts.
In its advisory dated October 29, the CWC said the outburst had been reported by the Indian Embassy in Bhutan and warned that a flash flood in the upper reaches of the Punatsangchhu River, known as the Sankosh in India, could lead to a sudden rise in water levels downstream. It advised local authorities along the river to remain alert, monitor the situation and take necessary precautionary measures.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the state government was closely monitoring the possible impact across vulnerable revenue circles of Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts. He said teams were in constant contact with the NDRF and other agencies and were ready to respond if required.
The Chief Minister urged residents to remain alert, follow official updates and cooperate with local officials.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Tourism Minister Dr Sankar Ghosh said the administration was on high alert and prepared to deal with any possible emergency. He added that no devastating incident had been reported in Alipurduar so far and that precautionary advisories had been issued to ensure public safety.
According to Daily Bhutan, the reported outburst on the evening of October 29 caused significant damage in Bhutan. Floodwaters washed away the Gasa Tshachu hot spring complex beside the Mo Chhu river in Gasa district. A section of the Punakha-Gasa Secondary National Highway near the 31.85-kilometre point was also completely washed away, following which authorities closed the road to all traffic until further notice.
The floodwaters reached Taktsemakhang at around 8:15 pm on Thursday, damaging a section of the road towards Laya. Precautionary evacuations were carried out in potentially exposed locations, and warning sirens were activated. No deaths or injuries had been reported as of the morning of October 30, Daily Bhutan reported.
The water from Sintaphu Lake enters the Mo Chhu, which flows through Gasa and Punakha. At Punakha, the Mo Chhu meets the Pho Chhu to form the Punatsangchhu, which later enters India as the Sankosh River.
Sintaphu is a high-altitude glacial lake at the headwaters of the Mo Chhu and features on Bhutan’s official list of 17 potentially dangerous glacial lakes, as reported by Daily Bhutan.
Meanwhile, NDRF DG Anand also paid tribute to NDRF personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty, marking October 30 as the force’s day.
Explaining the significance of the date, he recalled the October 21, 1959 incident at the Chinese border involving an Intelligence Bureau officer and 10 CRPF personnel, who laid down their lives while defending the country’s borders. He said October 21 is observed as Police Commemoration Day.
” A few years ago, the Prime Minister suggested that while October 21 remains a collective observance, each individual force should also dedicate a specific day of its own. Consequently, October 30 has been designated for the NDRF. Today, we paid tribute to our martyrs–the 17 martyrs from the NDRF–and we also invited their family members to honour and felicitate them,” Anand added. (ANI)
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