By Ashok Sharma and Sibi Arasu | Associated Press
NEW DELHI — In a dramatic search for survivors, hundreds of rescuers are digging through slushy debris and fast-flowing, icy water after a glacial lake overflowed and burst through a dam in India’s Himalayan north. Many experts had warned about the possibility of this disaster for years.
The disaster occurred early Wednesday, when water overflowed from a mountain lake, breached a major hydroelectric dam downstream, and unleashed its fury into the valley below. So far, the flood has claimed the lives of at least 41 people, with some bodies carried away for kilometers (miles), and forced thousands to evacuate their homes.
The exact cause of the deadly flood remains unclear, but experts have pointed to intense rain and a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in nearby Nepal as possible factors. This tragedy highlights a climate dilemma, pitting local environmental activists who consider the dams in the Himalayas to be too dangerous against authorities pursuing a national green energy agenda.
The construction and location of the Teesta 3 dam, the largest in Sikkim state, had raised controversies since its inception six years ago. In 2019, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority labeled Lhonak Lake as “highly vulnerable” to flooding that could potentially breach dams, causing extensive damage to lives and property.
Despite the controversy surrounding the dam, the dam’s operator and local agencies responsible for dam safety have not responded to requests for comments on the matter.
India has set ambitious clean energy goals to combat climate change and relies heavily on hydroelectric dams to meet these targets. The government aims to increase India’s hydro power capacity to 70,000 megawatts by 2030, a 50% increase from current levels. Consequently, hundreds of new dams have been approved across the country’s mountainous regions.
However, the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, pose significant risks to dams and the communities residing downstream. Just last month, dam breaches triggered by Storm Daniel caused unimaginable devastation in the city of Derna, Libya.
Rising temperatures also contribute to the faster melting of glaciers, exerting additional pressure on dams. A 2016 study found that over 20% of the 177 dams situated near Himalayan glaciers in five countries, including the Teesta 3 dam, are at risk from glacial lakes.
Gyatso Lepcha, general secretary of Affected Citizens of Teesta, an environmental organization based in Sikkim, expressed their knowledge of the impending disaster, stating, “We knew that this was coming.” They called for a safety review of all dams in the state.
The Teesta 3 hydropower project, which spans the Teesta River, took nine years to construct at a cost of $1.5 billion. The project, which commenced operations in 2017, has a capacity to produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity, powering approximately 1.5 million Indian homes. However, local activists argue that the dam lacks adequate safety features.
Himanshu Thakkar of the non-governmental organization South Asian Network for Rivers, Dams and People criticized authorities for neglecting the lessons from a dam breach in Uttarakhand state in 2021 that claimed 81 lives, allowing a similar disaster to unfold. Although India passed a dam safety law in 2021, the Teesta 3 dam is not among the dams monitored by India’s top dam regulator.
India’s National Disaster Management Agency announced plans to install early warning systems at most of the 56 known at-risk glacial lakes in the country.
Reports have emerged of flooding along the Teesta River in parts of northern Bangladesh as the water travels from Sikkim. The country’s meteorological office has forecasted heavy rains in the coming days, indicating that the waters may rise further.
In Sikkim, more than 2,000 people have been rescued and 26 relief camps have been set up to assist over 22,000 individuals affected by the floods, according to the state Disaster Management Authority. One missing soldier has been located, and the bodies of seven others have been found, according to state police.
The floodwaters have washed away eleven bridges in the Lachan Valley, damaging or destroying over 270 houses in four districts.
The army is providing medical aid and phone connectivity to civilians in Chungthang, Lachung, and Lachen, and local media reports that temporary bridges are being constructed to deliver food to the affected areas.
Last month, flash floods and landslides claimed the lives of nearly 50 individuals in Himachal Pradesh state, while record-breaking rains killed over 100 people in northern India over a two-week period in July.
Reporting by Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India. AP writers Aniruddha Ghosal in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh contributed to this report.
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