Sikkim Group Urges Project Halt After Nepal Floods Kill 160

The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 26, 2026, to halt all new and proposed hydroelectric projects in Sikkim. The request follows a catastrophic disaster in the Himalayan region between Nepal and Tibet, where an earthquake-induced avalanche triggered flash floods that killed at least 160 people and left more than 1,300 missing.

In Nepal, the floods damaged approximately 360 megawatts of operational hydropower capacity, including the 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Plant. This loss represents about 8% of Nepal's total generation, forcing the Ministry of Energy to consider importing electricity from India to cover shortfalls. The disaster affected nine operational projects across two districts and damaged five projects under construction.

SIBLAC convenor Tseten Taski Bhutia called for an independent, time-bound probe into existing projects to evaluate environmental, geological, seismic, social, and national security risks. The committee requested that the central government publish a white paper on these findings, citing Sikkim's own history of instability, including the October 2023 glacial lake outburst flood that destroyed the Teesta-III hydropower project. The event has intensified calls from regional advocates for scientific risk assessments of large-scale infrastructure in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.