Sikkim dam washed away in 10 minutes after flash flood

Sikkim’s largest hydro power project, previously known as Teesta Urja and now named Sikkim Urja, has sustained extensive damage caused by a flash flood on Tuesday night. The flood resulted in the destruction of both the dam and the bridge that connects to the powerhouse.

“The dam located at Chungthang got washed away in ten minutes just after 12 midnight. We also saw that the 200-metre-long bridge connecting the powerhouse has been washed away. The entire powerhouse has been submerged under water.” said Sunil Saraogi, the executive chairman of Sikkim Urja Limited (formerly: Teesta Urja Limited).

Hydroelectric Project Faces Significant Damage

The 1,200 MW hydroelectric project situated on the Teesta River in the North Sikkim district, specifically in Chungthang and Mangan, had recently begun to generate profits for the first time since the previous year. The Sikkim government holds a majority share of 60.08 percent in this project, which is estimated to be valued at approximately Rs 25,000 crore. This run-of-the-river scheme harnesses an available gross head of 800 meters, and all of its generating units were effectively put into operation in February 2017.

At least 30 people have been reported missing and six bridges have been washed away in north Sikim since Tuesday night due to the flash floods.

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Emergency Situation at Dam: Team Stranded, Communication Cut Off

Speaking over phone, Saraogi said, “At 11.58pm on Tuesday, we got information from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Immediately, our team went to the dam to open the gates. Before they could open, the flash flood hit them, and they ran away to save their lives. There were 12 to 13 people in the team and they somehow got saved on the other side of the dam and they would be evacuated by ITBP by 2 pm on Wednesday.”

“We are unable to reach the powerhouse. The entire team is stranded, finding it difficult to communicate. Roads are closed. We don’t know the extent of damage in the powerhouse at Mangan. No one could reach the powerhouse as the bridge connecting the dam had gone. Fortunately, no one is inside the powerhouse as all have come out,” he said.

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Flash Floods Impact Multiple Districts in Sikkim

Saraogi said that the project was running 120 percent of its capacity utilization.

“The dam and the bridge have to be rebuilt and the rebuilding cost would run in thousands of crores rupees. The losses would be thousands of crores,” he added.

As per the current shareholding structure of the company, Sikkim Urja Limited is a State Govt. Enterprise with Government of Sikkim holding 60.08 % stake through its investment company, Sikkim Power Investment Corporation Limited.

In the early hours of Wednesday, authorities reported that three districts in Sikkim, namely Mangan (in north Sikkim), Pakyong, and Gangtok (in east Sikkim), were impacted by the flash floods. Among these, Mangan suffered the most severe consequences. Additionally, officials anticipated that the water level in the Teesta River would surpass the danger threshold within a few hours. Consequently, a flood warning was issued for select districts in northern Bengal and Bangladesh.

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