A landslide damaged six houses and a building of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at the site of its Teesta-V hydropower station in Sikkim’s Gangtok district on August 20, 2024.
- This is the second natural-disaster-led assault on a hydropower project along the Teesta.
- A deluge from the South Lhonak glacier in North Sikkim in October 2023 washed away the Chungthang dam that was critical to the Teesta-3 power station.
- The Teesta-3 (1,200 MW) power project was the largest hydroelectric power project in the State until it was effectively grounded after the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in October 2023.
- At least 40 people were killed and more than 75 went missing in the GLOF-induced flash flood in 2023.
- A Only a tenth of the power originally being supplied by the project is now available.
- The Teesta-5 project, at 510 MW, has also been made non-functional since the glacial lake outburst.
About Teesta river
- Teesta is a tributary of the Brahmaputra river. The Teesta river originates from the Tso Lhamo Lake at an elevation of about 5,280 metres in north Sikkim.
- The river travels for about 150 km in Sikkim and 123 km in West Bengal, before entering Bangladesh from Mekhligunj in Cooch Behar district; it flows another 140 km in Bangladesh and joins the Bay of Bengal.
- The river’s course through undulating terrain is what tempts governments to extract as much benefit as possible for power projects.
