The march is to draw attention to the need to protect the Teesta River from the adverse impact of a series of hydropower projects.
| Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar
GUWAHATI A Sikkim-based environmental group has announced a four-day foot march to draw attention to the need to protect the Teesta River from the adverse impact of a series of hydropower projects.
The ‘Teesta Rights’ march by members of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) follows the July 20 disaster in a head race tunnel of an NHPC hydropower project in Sikkim’s Namchi district.
The ACT’s Gyatso Lepcha told journalists in Gangtok on Thursday (July 23, 2026) that one of the key demands of the organisation is a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment and a Social Impact Assessment for all hydropower projects in the Teesta basin, including the NHPC’s 500-megawatt Teesta Stage-VI, where the “explosive release of suspected methane gas” killed at least 22 workers.
He said the ACT has been fighting for river conservation for almost two decades, and the march was a tribute to supporters of its movement and a celebration of the spirit of the Teesta River, the lifeline of Sikkim’s Himalayan landscape.
Mr. Lepcha said that the march will commence at Phidang village in Dzongu, an area affected by the NHPC’s 510 MW Teesta Stage-V hydropower project, which was damaged during the devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in October 2023 that killed more than 90 people.
“The march will conclude at the confluence of the Teesta and Rangeet rivers,” he said.
According to the ACT, the campaign seeks to renew its long-standing demand for scrapping NHPC’s proposed 520 MW Teesta Stage-IV Hydropower Project and the proposed 280 MW Panan Hydropower Project awarded to private players. “We also want the Sikkim government to declare the stretch of the Teesta River between the Teesta Stage-V and Stage-III projects as a river sanctuary,” Mr. Lepcha said.
He said the entire Teesta River Basin changed after the GLOF almost three years ago. “The earlier environmental studies no longer reflect the present conditions. Fresh assessments are necessary before any construction work continues,” he said.
Published – July 24, 2026 07:59 am IST
