Tread Carefully on the Himalayas

Hydropower projects in the mountains must not be pursued at the cost of public safety

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The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in October 2023 that killed nearly 100 people in Sikkim highlighted how the climate crisis is wreaking havoc in the Himalayas. A mega-dam on the Teesta, constructed as part of the Teesta Hydroelectric Project Stage-III (1,200 MW), was washed away, leading to a suspension of the project. Now, the expert appraisal committee of the Union environment ministry has approved major design changes so that the project can be revived. The new design (a concrete gravity dam), it is claimed, will help the dam withstand the worst kind of flash flood. The design also enhances the dam spillway capacity from 7,000 cumecs to 19,946 cumecs to account for GLOF and other kinds of floods.