510MW NHPC Teesta Stage V H/E Project Dam in Dikchu
Glacial Lake outburst Flood in Sikkim worsened by the dams in Sikkim
Fidang village where The Mandarine Retreat is stationed is a Dam Reservoir tail end of NHPC Teesta Stage V H/E Project.
The Glacial lake outburst Flood hit Sikkim on the early morning of the 4th of October 2023, and due to NHPC’s failure to install early warning detecting system, they failed to opened the dam gates on time which resulted the oncoming Flash floods colliding directly with the NHPC Teesta Stage V dam reservoir and since the gates weren’t open the flood water flowed back to Fidang village and surrounding areas resulting in huge backwater flooding to villages in and around Fidang and Dikchu area.
Fidang village has suffered very severe damages.
Seven houses were washed away, a life was lost, public and private properties damaged,
Both of our connecting bridges have been washed away too etc.
The Mandarine Retreat too has received severe damages to its property.
Aftermath the 4th of October 2023 disaster as we tried to figure out a new journey we started with a ropeway cable first for transferring relief materials from the other bank as both of our connecting bridges had been washed away. This ropeway in the long run would transfer important relief materials to different parts of North Sikkim.
We have received some financial aid from The Government of Sikkim.
Our sincerest gratitude on behalf of all the people of North Sikkim to each and everyone who have come forward and helped our village and other affected areas in North Sikkim through relief material/aid etc.
We would also like to thank all of our guests who had stayed/visited us for remembering/calling us and being ready to help us during this difficult period.
One notable mention is Buddha Dharma center a team from Gangtok Sikkim led by Mr Tenzin Thonpa Bhutia who happened to be our regular guest at The Mandarine Retreat, He along with his team donated one Mahindra pickup vehicle of relief materials to the affected areas in Fidang . Since Mr Tenzin and his team couldn’t come as we yet had no bridges for travelling
All we had was a ropeway.
The relief materials were distributed by the Mandarine Retreat team in Buddha Dharma center’s presence.
In a month or two we would build a bamboo bridge so that people could now travel through this bridge.
This bridge would cut our travel time from two hours to two minutes.
The Border Road organization also have slowly started to build the suspension bridge.
We do hope the bridge will be complete by July 2024.
As for our team after waiting for nearly seven month’s we have now started rebuilding The Mandarine Retreat.
We hope to reopen on the opening date as the same as Fidang suspension bridge.
Its April of 2024 as I update this website of ours.
We have made a file with regards to the 4th of October 2023 disaster and how due to the NHPC Teesta Stage V H/E Project Dam Fidang village has been severely damaged and submitted it to the District head Mangan North Sikkim
We also had a joint inspection conducted on the 21st of November 2023 headed by our area MLA Shri Pintso Namgyal Lepcha along with District head Mangan and team along with NHPC Teesta Stage V General Manager and team and the affected families.
The NHPC team sent us a reply of the meeting and all they stated was it was a natural disaster.
Our file is still in process as of today in Mangan District.
Today as I update this website of ours, our sincerest prayers is the Government of Sikkim in days to come will make NHPC pay for the damages that has occurred in our village and nearby areas because though it was a natural disaster it is due to NHPC’s easy going attitude that they failed to open the dam gates on time because if their dam gates would had been open that fateful morning then our villagers would still be living in their own homes today instead of living as refugees.
If the NHPC Dam gates would had been open then yes there would had been damage to Fidang village and nearby areas but not this severe.
NHPC being a huge organization should have facilities such as early warning detecting system.
They should also had sent their team quarterly to study the lakes and geographical study in North Sikkim instead all they do is drain out the resources and well it is the common people such as us who suffer.
In-fact It was our local Lepcha brother who finally could open one gate of the total five gates but unfortunately he lost his life while opening the gate.
If that one gate too would not have opened then Fidang village/ Dikchu town would had submerged in whole inside the flood water.
Yes the Glacial lake did burst on the 4th of October 2023, yes the river level did rise but the same occurrence did occur during the 70’s and before . It flew its own natural course because there were no obstructions on-route.
It is a natural phenomenon but today big companies have built blockages on the route in the form of Dams.
So what could the river do if the route on the front is blocked?
Swell up and try to break free as it happened to Chungthang Dam on the 4th of October 2023 or if the Dam is strong as in NHPC Teesta Stage V H/E Projects then all the river could do was swell up flow backwards until a path was opened.
