Sikkim landslide is a warning to upcoming hydro-projects

Arecent landslide in Sikkim created a furore since it came a year after another disastrous landslip in the Himalayan state.

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY

This time, the landslide was not due to extreme weather as it happened in dry conditions. It posed a serious challenge to policy makers who routinely push huge hydro infrastructure projects in the fragile Himalayan region.

Around 7.30 am on August 20, a massive landslide took place in Balutar. It substantially damaged the Teesta V, a 510 MW hydel power station, and a GIS building located at Dipu Data on the Teesta river, 20 km southwest of Gangtok. Fortunately, no lives were lost though there was significant infrastructure damage.

This disaster comes on the heels of the Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) and riverine floods in the Teesta River basin on October 4, 2023, which caused massive devastation in Sikkim and Kalimpong in West Bengal. The National Highway-10, the lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong, which runs along the Teesta, has been in a precarious state following frequent landslides and closures.

According to the International Hydropower Association (IHA), the station has a 88.6 metre high, 176.5 metre long, concrete gravity dam with open reservoirs for daily power peaking. It is located around 18 km upstream at Dikchu and connects through underground tunnels to the powerhouse. It operates as a peaking plant during winter and at continuous full power during summer. However, the plant has been out of operation since last year’s October flood, which had seriously damaged it.