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The Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) have urged the Sikkim government to decommission the NHPC Stage V and Stage III dams.
This appeal comes in the wake of a massive landslide at Dipu Dara near Singtam on Tuesday, which damaged the Balutar Teesta Stage V GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear) building and the entry tunnel of the powerhouse hydroelectric project.
The landslide also caused damage to several houses in the area. ACT claimed that the landslide was primarily caused by the underground Teesta Stage V powerhouse.
“The main cause of Dipudara landslide is because of underground teesta stage V powerhouse. This is all because of the 20 kilometres of tunnels from Dikchu Dam to the underground Power Station at Balutar Dipu Dara. Inside the Dipu Dara the underground Teesta stage V powerhouse is located along with underground tunneling and audit. So, in future periphery area of Dipudara, Beng, Khamdong area will be affected,” it said.
ACT’s General Secretary, Gyatsho Tongden Lepcha, also urged the state government to reconsider its current development model, particularly its reliance on hydropower projects, which he described as a “bane rather than a boon” for Sikkim. He opposed the controversial NHPC 520 MW Stage IV project, calling for its cancellation, warning that it would be “the final nail in the coffin for Sikkim”.
In a press release, ACT highlighted the environmental and social impacts of run-of-the-river projects, specifically pointing to the Teesta Stage V project. This project, the first in a six-stage plan to harness 3,635 MW of hydropower within 175 kilometres of the Teesta River, involves a 96.45-meter-high and 182.5-metre-long concrete gravity dam at Dikchu, diverting water through a 17.5-kilometre-long headrace tunnel to the powerhouse at Balutar. Commissioned in 2008, the project generates 510 MW but has been non-operational since last October following a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) that caused significant damage across the Teesta River basin.
“The disaster and destruction that ensued were definitely compounded by the cascade dams along the path of the Teesta. It carried away everything on its path—people, homes, bridges, livestock, vehicles, and construction equipment. Severe damage to life, property and infrastructure was reported in four districts of Sikkim and downstream areas of North Bengal, parts of National Highway 10, which had already been ravaged, hydropower projects have worsened the pre-existing hazardscape producing new geomorphology,” the ACT general secretary shared.
ACT criticised the recognition of NHPC’s Teesta-V power station, which received the ‘Blue Planet Prize’ from the International Hydropower Association (IHA) during the World Hydropower Congress in 2021. “This award is nothing but another attempt to depoliticise the woes and protests against dams that has been going on for 18 years on the stretch of Teesta river and finally to push the button to dam the belly of Dzongu near Mangan which has been resisted for long time. NHPC has never practiced sustainable development at any given projects in the state,” shared ACT in a press release.
The press release also highlighted the ongoing issues with road connectivity in Sikkim, citing the state’s economic struggles, inflation, and collapsed infrastructure, including roads and bridges. Villages like Dzongu, Lachen, and Lachung are facing severe connectivity problems, and the state and central authorities have yet to restore the damage from last year’s disaster. ACT condemned the hydro developers’ apparent indifference to these issues, noting that no one is holding them accountable.
In North Sikkim’s Toong Naga village, nearly 300 households were destroyed and residents were asked to leave their ancestral homes this year due to the impact of last year’s GLOF and the breach of the Teesta III 1200 MW dam.
The collapse of the Chungthang dam last year resulted in a massive catastrophe along the downstream Teesta belt, including North Bengal and the NH10, Sikkim’s lifeline.
“But the discourse totally shifted on GLOF, social media to print media only highlighted the GLOF. Unfortunately, the state playing blame game on how and why 1200 mw dam collapse, but they never discuss on impact of Dam breach and its role on the disaster. The notion of the run of the river projects are projected as low impact ones as they have small submergence area as compared to storage dams and such a less number of people are displaced. But the run of the river projects involves large scale tunneling and blasting which have severe social impacts in the entire project area and surrounding area as well,” shared ACT.
This article was first published on the website of EastMojo on August 23, 2024