Dam on Teesta spells doom
according to the National Highway (nh) 31A Bachao Committee (nhbc), traffic disruption, due to a landslide in August, continues on nh 31A in Kalimpong, West Bengal. nhbc claims that construction on the Teesta Low Dam Stage III project at 27th Mile led to the landslide. About 50 metres of the highway got washed away, hitting the local economy during the tourist season.
nhbc, comprising representatives from trade and tourism industries and ngos from Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Siliguri, has stepped up its efforts to save the highway that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong to Siliguri and the rest of the country.nhbc wants the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (nhpc) to stop construction till an inquiry into the landslide is completed. It also wants a review and reassessment of the environmental impact of the dam.
Although the project, to be executed in five phases on eight sites along the Teesta from north Sikkim to Sevoke in West Bengal, is expected to generate 3,697 mw, questions over its feasibility are being raised. The dam lies in a highly seismic zone. Blasting and slope modifications during construction will cause more landslides, increase silt and boulder load, thus shortening the dam's estimated 50-year lifespan, says Dinesh Shresta, convener of the Darjeeling ngo Network.
Besides, Teesta's annual sediment load is one of the highest (3.5 to 4.5 million tonnes) in the world. The North Eastern Society for the Preservation of Nature and Wildlife and the Himalayan Forest Villagers' Union are against nhpc for violating the environmental impact assessment (eia) notification laws, denying information and not consulting the local community. Despite this, the project got environmental clearance. Activists say that the final eia report "suppressed' certain parts.
Teesta, along with its tributaries, forms an integral part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The Teesta river valley system also sustains several tribal and indigenous communities.