A drone view shows mud covering properties following a flash flood in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on August 27, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
GUWAHATI
A body of two ethnic communities in Sikkim has advised the Centre to learn from the flash flood disaster in Nepal and scrap all new and proposed hydroelectric projects in the Himalayan State.
According to the Nepal Electricity Authority, at least 13 hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli River corridors suffered extensive damage due to an earthquake-induced avalanche of ice and rock in Tibet.
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The mudslide hit Tibet’s Gyirong port and slammed into Nepal, creating high-speed flash floods that washed away entire roads and power projects and inundated villages.
The 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Plant in Nepal’s Rasuwa district was among those affected.
On Wednesday (August 26, 2026) evening, the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt new hydropower projects in the State and order an independent, time-bound probe into the existing ones.
SIBLAC convenor Tseten Taski Bhutia, also the chief advisor to the Sikkim unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, expressed solidarity with the flood-hit people of Nepal and hoped for the success of the ongoing relief and rescue operations.
“The disaster in Nepal highlights the vulnerability of the Himalayan region, requiring a fresh assessment of development activities,” he said, insisting that the Centre should reconsider plans for new hydroelectric projects on Sikkim’s rivers.
Seeking an independent inquiry into the environmental, geological, seismic, social, and national security implications of all existing and proposed projects in Sikkim, Mr Bhutia urged the Centre to publish a white paper containing the findings of such an assessment.
He said the SIBLAC was not against development, but not at the cost of the ecological and social security of India’s Himalayan frontier.
Sikkim has had its share of natural disasters linked directly or indirectly to hydropower projects. The October 2023 glacial lake outburst flood in the State destroyed the 1,200MW Teesta-III hydropower project in Chungthang and heavily impacted downstream energy infrastructure along the Teesta River.
Published – August 27, 2026 07:33 am IST
