The Congress has lashed out at the government in the aftermath of the recent landslides in Sikkim, accusing it of prioritising hydropower projects in ecologically fragile regions without fully considering their cumulative environmental impacts.
The party's criticism comes as a massive landslide on Tuesday morning caused significant damage to the Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project, a 510 MW facility on the Teesta River in East Sikkim.
A history of ignoring warnings
In a statement on Wednesday, Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in-charge of communications, expressed deep concern over the ongoing series of natural disasters in Sikkim, particularly the damage inflicted on the Teesta V hydel power station.
Ramesh noted that these disasters are not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of ecological destruction, exacerbated by unplanned construction and development in the region.
Ramesh referenced the October 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) and subsequent riverine floods that caused massive devastation in the Teesta River basin, affecting both Sikkim and the Kalimpong district of West Bengal.
He argued that the government's approach to development in this region has been reckless, prioritising hydel projects without proper environmental assessments or consideration of the long-term impacts on the local ecology.
Teesta river: A case study in mismanagement
The Congress leader pointed to the Teesta River as a prime example of how development is being pursued at the expense of ecological stability. He highlighted that the river has become increasingly flood-prone due to the proliferation of hydropower projects along its course.
According to the National Hydropower Development Corporation (NHDC), there are currently 47 hydropower projects in various stages of development on the Teesta river in Sikkim and West Bengal. Of these, nine have been commissioned, 15 are under construction, and 28 are in the pipeline.
"The October 2023 disaster, which was triggered by a GLOF, only reached its catastrophic scale due to the failure of the Teesta-III dam," Ramesh said.
He criticised the government's failure to learn from past mistakes, noting that the Teesta V project had already been warned about the potential impact of GLOFs.
Despite these warnings, the project was given the green light, and now it has suffered significant damage due to landslides.
Impact on local communities
Ramesh also condemned the lack of consultation with local communities in the development of these projects. He argued that the people of Sikkim and Kalimpong have not benefitted from the hydel projects in terms of employment, power sharing, or revenue generation.
"These projects have been undertaken without local communities in mind," he said. "No consultative process was undertaken with the local communities in advance of the railway line projects."
The Congress leader also drew attention to the ongoing Sivok-Rangpo railway line project, which involves tunnelling through the sensitive region.
Ramesh claimed that this project, undertaken by IRCON, has further increased the region's vulnerability to natural disasters.
He noted that the mismanagement of debris disposal from the tunnelling has raised the riverbed level, making the area even more prone to flooding.
The consequences of development
Ramesh's statement stressed that the series of natural disasters in Sikkim, including the recent landslides, are not just unfortunate accidents but the result of a flawed approach to development.
He argued that the government's disregard for ecological considerations and its focus on short-term gains have led to devastating consequences for the region.
"The obvious vendetta politics aside, the Budget announcements were insufficient," Ramesh said, referring to the Union Budget unveiled in July 2024.
He criticised the government's vague promises of "assistance" for irrigation and flood mitigation in Sikkim, noting that no specific funds were allocated for the region.
He also accused the government of ignoring the areas in West Bengal that were equally affected by the October 2023 floods.
In his statement, Ramesh called for a fundamental shift in the government's approach to development in ecologically sensitive areas.
He argued that the current model, which prioritises hydropower and other large-scale projects, is unsustainable and will only lead to more disasters in the future.
"Dams on the Teesta are the prime, but not the only, example of how - in the name of development - ecology is being fundamentally altered, with grave consequences for this and future generations," Ramesh said.
He concluded by urging the government to adopt a more balanced approach to development, one that takes into account the ecological dimensions and the needs of local communities.
"What the entire region needs is a development framework that centres ecological dimensions, the case for which has become apparent from the cascading series of disasters in the last year," he said.
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