‘Safety first’: Sikkim BJP Chief opposes Centre’s clearance for Teesta Dam with 14 months of 2023 GLOF disaster

On the intervening night of October 3 and October 4, 2023, the natural moraine dam of South Lhonak lake was breached by collapsed glacier debris. The ensuing glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) came barrelling towards the Chungthang dam, breaching it in its wake.

“Sikkim is still recovering from the October 2023 disaster, with tourism and road connectivity yet to fully normalise. About 40-50 people died and thousands were displaced. The people’s safety should be the top priority,” the Sikkim BJP president said.

Earlier, on February 2, Thapa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to withhold the new dam’s clearance until safety concerns are addressed. The disaster underscored the urgent need for a scientific reassessment of all major hydropower projects in the region, he wrote to Modi.

Asked if the Sikkim BJP wants the project to be scrapped, he told The Indian Express, “We do not want the project to be scrapped. There should be comprehensive safety assessments and fresh impact studies. The past assessments were clearly bad. Hence the older dam was washed away.”

On January 10, the environment ministry’s expert appraisal committee (EAC) on river valley and hydroelectric projects recommended clearance for a new concrete gravity dam for the 1,200 MW Teesta III hydel project. This new dam, 118 m tall from its deepest foundation point, will replace the Chungthang dam, which was washed away in the early hours of October 4, 2023.

In his letter, Thapa requested the prime minister to “withhold the EAC’s clearance for the Teesta III project until all necessary scientific reviews, including revised probable maximum flood study, are completed and independently validated”.

“Order a fresh and comprehensive environmental impact assessment to incorporate recent climate data, GLOF risks, and Sikkim’s evolving ecological challenges…ensure a fresh public hearing to engage the people of Sikkim in this crucial decision and uphold the principles of democratic participation,” Thapa’s letter to Modi stated.

Thapa also wrote that Sikkim is an ecologically sensitive Himalayan state prone to glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, and extreme weather events.