Fresh snowfall covered the upper reaches of the Indo-China border, including Nathula Pass, on Friday, leading to a sharp drop in temperatures across Sikkim. Several high-altitude regions witnessed sub-zero conditions, affecting movement along major mountain routes. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy to very heavy snowfall was reported in Nathula, Kupup, and Tsomgo (Changu) Lake areas since early morning. A red alert has been issued for Sikkim, warning of continued severe weather over the next 24 hours.

Authorities have urged tourists and transport operators to avoid traveling to higher altitudes as roads have turned slippery due to snow buildup. Teams from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are actively clearing the snow to maintain essential connectivity. Residents have been advised to stay cautious, while the state government has placed disaster response teams on alert. Officials noted that temperatures in the Nathula region could dip even further overnight, marking one of the earliest and heaviest snowfalls of the season.

Meanwhile, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has allocated Rs 8.3 lakh to Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework, as per the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change announced on Saturday.

The funds were transferred directly to the Narrau village BMC in Akrabad Kaul Taluk, Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, and the Lampokhari Lake Area BMC in Aritar, Sikkim, through their respective State Biodiversity Boards. According to the Ministry, one company utilized crop materials from Narrau village to produce fermentable compounds from lignocellulosic biomass, while another accessed microorganisms from water and soil samples in the Lampokhari Lake area for research.

By distributing these funds, the NBA aims to strengthen local biodiversity committees, enabling them to take a more active role in conservation and sustainable resource management. Earlier, the NBA had disbursed Rs 1.36 crore to support grassroots biodiversity initiatives in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.