Sikkim’s Teesta III Dam Disaster Was Foreseeable
Catastrophe Warning Signs Loom at Several Other Dams
Newsreel Asia Insight #6
Oct. 7, 2023
A glacial lake burst in the northeast Indian state of Sikkim led to flash flooding that killed at least 40 people and displaced thousands, a disaster long warned about by experts and environmental activists.
The catastrophe, one of the worst in the region in 50 years, began Oct. 4 when water from the mountain Lhonak Lake overflowed, destroying the Teesta 3 hydropower project built on the Teesta River and flooding the valley below. The Associated Press reported that the floodwaters carried bodies miles away and forced thousands to evacuate their homes.
Experts cited intense rain and a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in nearby Nepal as potential triggers for the flood. However, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority had identified Lhonak Lake as “highly vulnerable” to flooding as early as 2019.
The Teesta 3 dam, the largest in Sikkim, had been a point of contention since its construction. “We knew that this was coming,” Gyatso Lepcha, general secretary of Affected Citizens of Teesta, told the AP in a statement calling for a safety review of all dams in the state.
The dam was part of India’s “green energy” agenda, aiming to increase hydro power to 70,000 megawatts by 2030. But climate change and extreme weather events have put many such dams at risk, CBS News reported. Last month, similar dam breaches caused devastation in Libya.
The region is prone to earthquakes, and experts have warned that the dam could be at risk in the event of seismic activity. The Himalayan region, where the Teesta River flows, is known to be tectonically active, making it susceptible to earthquakes.
Further, the area faces frequent landslides, especially during the monsoon season. Experts have cautioned that landslides could lead to blockages in the river, resulting in sudden release of water and thereby posing risks to the dam and downstream areas.
Climate change is also a concern, as melting glaciers may lead to increased water flow, putting pressure on the dam. Experts have warned that this could compromise the dam’s structural integrity over time.
A 2016 study found that over a fifth of the 177 dams built close to Himalayan glaciers were at risk, including Teesta 3. “Despite being the biggest project in the state, there were no early warning systems installed,” Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asian Network for Rivers, Dams and People told the AP.
“There has been a substantial increase in the number of glacial lakes as the glaciers are melting due to global warming,” Dr. Farooq Azam, a glaciologist at the Indian Institute of Technology Indore, told CBS News.
The Teesta 3 project took nine years–beginning in 2017–and $1.5 billion to complete with the capability of powering 1.5 million Indian homes. Yet, it was not on the list of dams monitored by India’s top dam regulator, despite a dam safety law passed in 2021, the newswire noted.
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang criticised the dam’s construction quality. “The substandard construction work led to the destruction of the dam,” Tamang said, announcing an ex-gratia payment for families of the deceased.
Parts of northern Bangladesh also experienced flooding as water travelled from Sikkim, The Times of India reported. The state’s Disaster Management Authority reported that more than 2,000 people were rescued and 26 relief camps were set up for over 22,000 people. Over 140 people remained missing, as of Oct. 7.
Last year, similar flooding in Sikkim killed at least 24 people and displaced tens of thousands.
The state government had held a consultation workshop last May on the risk of glacial lake outbursts, CNN noted. Yet, no early warning systems were installed, leaving the region vulnerable to foreseeable disasters.
Several dams in India have been identified as vulnerable to various types of catastrophes, including natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and landslides. These include Mullaperiyar Dam and Idukki Dam in Kerala state, Bhakra Dam in Himachal Pradesh state, Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand state, Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat state, Hirakud Dam in Odisha state, Koyna Dam in Maharashtra state, Rihand Dam in Uttar Pradesh state, Tungabhadra Dam in Karnataka state, and Kosi Barrage in Bihar state.
