The rising water levels of the Teesta River in Sikkim, India, have heightened concerns in Bangladesh.
As the river, which flows from Sikkim into Bangladesh, swells due to recent heavy rainfall, there are growing fears about potential flooding and its impact on the downstream regions of Bangladesh.
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) of India reported that a hydropower dam on the Teesta River in Sikkim was severely damaged on Tuesday due to water pressure.
For several days, stones have been rolling down from the area's hills, prompting residents' relocation in Sikkim.
Although the hydropower project's dam has been damaged, the NHPC assured there would be no significant problems with electricity production.
They said the project had been precarious since last year when a glacier break caused flooding in Sikkim. Since then, repair work on the dam has been ongoing. This is the second dam on the Teesta River in Sikkim that has been damaged in the past year.
NHPC reported that the structure of the 510-megawatt Teesta-5 electricity project and a high-voltage substation were completely destroyed in Tuesday's landslide.
An expert team from NHPC is currently assessing the situation at the project site.
Over the past few days, continuous landslides have disrupted national highways in Sikkim. The area around Balutar has experienced the most landslides in recent days. Eyewitnesses reported a sudden shaking on the hill on Tuesday, followed by a massive landslide that struck the dam, completely breaking a section of it. People fled in panic.
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation has constructed multiple dams and hydropower projects on the Teesta River in Sikkim and Gazoldoba, West Bengal.
They built the Stage Five dam on the Teesta, which collapsed on the same day.
Previously, another dam built in Chungthang last year was destroyed by heavy rains and has not yet been fully repaired. A tunnel was also constructed by cutting through the hill where the incident occurred.
Environmental Scientist Arup Guha told Deutsche Welle: "There was always a fear that this could happen. Several projects have been constructed one after the other on the Teesta in the hills and Dooars. The dams were built unscientifically, and the environmental damage is now apparent."
Arup had previously said that the lifespan of the dams built on the Teesta was nearing its end, yet the projects have not been fully implemented. As a result, a catastrophic disaster could occur at any time, and today's disaster is an indication of that.
Experts believe that the incident could put pressure on Gazoldoba due to the heavy rains in Sikkim and the rapid rise in water levels in the Teesta. If water is released in Gazoldoba, there is a possibility of flooding downstream, which could also affect Bangladesh.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has reported that eight districts in Bangladesh have been affected by floods due to heavy rains and upstream water surges.
The ministry’s Additional Secretary, KM Ali Reza, said this during a press briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.
He said that floods have affected Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Feni, Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla, and Khagrachhari districts.
He also noted that the flooding could spread to new areas.
Meanwhile, water levels at nine points in seven rivers in the country flow above the danger mark.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center has indicated that water levels in some other rivers could also rise above the danger level.
