Swiss Ambassador visits GLOF-affected areas in Mangan District

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">M</span>ANGAN, <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Kalpurush; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;">:</span></b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"> Ambassador of Switzerland to India, Maya Tissafi visited Toong Naga in Mangan District on Thursday as part of her ongoing official visit to Sikkim to assess areas affected by the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Ambassador was accompanied by her spouse Jurg Petermann, First Secretary Simon Sevan Schafer, Senior Regional Advisor on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Rapid Response (RR) Pierre-Yves Pitteloud and Team Leader SCA-Himalayas, Divya Mohan, along with officials from the State Disaster Management Authority.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">During the visit, the delegation travelled to Toong Naga under Mangan Sub-Division to observe the areas impacted by the GLOF and to interact with local communities affected by the disaster. The visit aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the ground situation as well as the ongoing recovery, rehabilitation and mitigation efforts being undertaken in the region.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Ambassador and her delegation were received at Mangan by Mangan BDO Kailash Thapa, who also served as the Incident Commander of Toong Naga GPU during the GLOF and under whose jurisdiction the area falls. SHO Mangan Prashant Rai was also present.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Upon arrival at Toong Naga, the delegation was warmly welcomed by Welfare Board chairman Nim Tshering Lepcha, along with the panchayat president, Zilla panchayat members, gram panchayat members and other PRI functionaries.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">During the field visit, BDO Kailash Thapa briefed the Ambassador and her delegation on the impact of the GLOF in the area, highlighting the damage caused to infrastructure and livelihoods. He also elaborated on the measures undertaken by the district administration for immediate relief and rehabilitation, as well as the steps being taken towards strengthening long-term disaster preparedness and resilience in the vulnerable areas of the district.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Ambassador appreciated the efforts of the district administration and local communities in responding to the disaster and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and knowledge sharing in the field of disaster risk reduction and climate resilience in Himalayan regions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span lang="EN-IN">&nbsp;</span></p>

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