Thousands of residents in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district were safely evacuated since Thursday and relocated to higher ground and emergency shelter homes as Jalpaiguri remained on high alert, following a warning from Bhutan about a possible breach in a glacial lake.

The glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) at Shintaphu Lake in Bhutan’s Gasa district prompted warnings in multiple districts of Assam and West Bengal, amid concerns over a possible rise in water levels downstream along the Sankosh River in India.

Local authorities in Bengal evacuated residents living in vulnerable riverbank and forest areas as a precaution, while putting emergency shelters and disaster response teams on standby.

District officials confirmed the situation showed signs of easing after water levels in the Sankosh River receded, with no major damage or casualties reported so far.

Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said Friday everything is “completely normal”.

“Throughout the night, until 4 am, the SP, ministers, MLAs, and…