1,200 MW dam project washed away in Sikkim disaster

09 Oct 2023 CW Team

The second largest run-of-the-river hydro power project in India, Teesta Urja, faced extensive damage due to a flood triggered by the breach in Lhonak lake in north-west Sikkim on the night between October 3 and 4. The 1,200 MW power project situated on the Teesta River, one of the most dammed rivers in the country, lies between Chungthang and Mangan in the Mangan district of North Sikkim. It stands as the largest among the nine operational hydro projects on the river in Sikkim. Currently, there are 15 ongoing dam projects, with an additional 28 proposed dams, aimed at harnessing the river's hydel capacity of approximately 4,200 MW.

Sunil Saraogi, the executive chairman of Sikkim Urja (formerly Teesta Urja), described the immense force of the water, stating that the dam at Chungthang was swept away in a mere ten minutes.

He recounted, "At 11.58 pm on October 3, we received information from ITBP (Indian Tibet Border Police) about the flash flood. Our team immediately hurried to open the gates.

However, before they could manage to open the gates, the flood struck. There were 12 to 13 people in the team, and they narrowly escaped by fleeing to the other side of the dam. They were evacuated by ITBP by 2 pm on October 4."

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