Floods that hit a large hydroelectric dam in India’s Himalayan region killed at least 31 people, officials said Friday (6/10). The icy water swept through mountain towns, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.
The flooding began just after midnight Wednesday, when a glacial lake high up in the mountains overflowed after heavy rain. Water breached the 6-year-old dam, the largest in the state of Sikkim, and flowed through towns in the Lachan Valley below.
This is the latest deadly flood to hit India’s northeastern region in a year of extremely heavy monsoon rains. Nearly 50 people died in flash floods and landslides last August in nearby Himachal Pradesh state, and record-breaking rains last July killed more than 100 people over two weeks in northern India.
The design and location of the Teesta-3 dam has been controversial since its construction, which was part of the Indian government’s efforts to increase energy from hydropower. Local activists argue that extreme weather caused by climate change makes building dams in the Himalayan region especially dangerous.
“Despite this being the largest project in the state, no early warning system was put in place even though it was known there was a risk of glacier overflow,” said Himanshu Thakkar, from the non-governmental organization South Asian Network for Rivers, Dams and People. (uh/ab)