Chungthang loses water and power supply lines to slides

DIKCHU, 24 Sept: Spared a direct impact of the flashfloods and landslides which have scarred the hills around it with ferocity, Chungthang in North Sikkim, cut off from the rest of the State expect by helicopter sorties, has immediate worries over water and electricity supply. The series of slides have disrupted the supply lines of both, water and electricity to the region, and although stop-gap arrangements are in place at present, the residents aspire for more permanent and resilient solution.
As things stand, the town and its surrounding areas have been without power and water supply since Friday. Impressively, for anyone who has seen the scale of damage, the Power Department managed to restore electricity supply to Toong today and are confident of completing the repairs up to Chungthang by Thursday at the latest.
In the meanwhile, the SDM office has arranged power for streetlights by pressing three generators into service. Further, the Chungthang household will be provided with kerosene on Tuesday to meet lighting requirements at home.
As for the water supply, the PHE Department is engaged in repairing the lines even as drinking water is being supplied across town in tankers provided by Teesta Urja. A problem however persists in that the water at the source is also murky and muddy at present. The water supply line is expected to be restored in the next few days. [from WANGCHUK BHUTIA]