Teesta Valley Disaster Mitigation Calls for Rapid Action

• Save The Hills and the Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative warn that the Teesta river poses serious threats to Sikkim and West Bengal each monsoon season.

• The 2023 GLOF and subsequent power project dam breach claimed over a hundred lives, disrupted livelihoods, and destroyed assets and military installations.

• The two states have limited their responses to disasters within their respective borders, not treating them as a larger issue at a landscape level.

• A memorandum by Save The Hills and the Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative (DHI) urges the implementation of both structural and non-structural mitigation measures throughout the Teesta Valley.

• The memorandum was addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, and West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee.

• Central assistance is imperative as the scale and complexity of the problem cannot be tackled at the State level.

• The duo suggests the formation of a task force of experts drawn from geo-hydrology, environmental science, engineering, and sociology to address the multiple challenges brought about by the GLOF.

• They stress the need for sustainable engineering solutions to protect low-lying areas from river overflow and re-channelising the Teesta River to prevent further damage to urban areas and infrastructure.

• They also suggest the reinforcement of evacuation centres and relief camps with backup solar power to ensure they remain operational in the event of future emergencies.

• They stress land-use planning and zoning as certain low-lying areas will remain high-risk zones even with structural protections in place.

• Non-structural mitigation measures such as early warning systems and communication networks are crucial.