Teesta River Flooding and the Case of Environmental Degradation in India’s North-East

By Rayana Ghosh

In one of the most distressing episodes of environmental disasters seen in India, the north-eastern state of Sikkim’s Teesta River reached its highest water level ever due to intense rainfall and thunderstorms in parts of the state. On Thursday morning, the news reported  that fourteen individuals lost their lives, and that 102 people, including a minimum of 23 Army personnel, remain unaccounted for in Sikkim. This tragic incident unfolded after the bursting of the South Lhonak Lake, a glacial lake located in the northwest of the state at an elevation of 17,000 feet. The lake burst due to relentless rainfall, leading to the release of water downstream. This surge of water resulted in the elevation of water levels in the Teesta River, and on October 4, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) reported that this caused flooding in at least four districts, namely Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong, and Namchi.. This has resulted in extensive damage from landslides and flooding. According to the most recent reports, about 25 army vehicles, portions of the ATTC college, and army personnel have been swept away in the resulting catastrophe.

Picture (News18): An earth-moving machine and a shed was washed away by the river water

In addition to Sikkim, where the flood occurred, the North Eastern Region (NER) of India  is made up of the following states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram,  and Tripura. This region spans between 21o 50’ and 29o 34’ N latitude and 85o 34’ and 97o 50’ E longitude. The NER is home to a population of 39 million people and covers a geographical area of 26.2 million hectares, accounting for 3.85% of the country’s population and 8% of its land area.

This region is anticipated to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to its delicate geo-ecological characteristics, its strategic position in relation to the eastern Himalayan terrain and international borders, the presence of trans-boundary river basins, and its inherent socio-economic instability. These impacts pose significant challenges to the environmental security and sustainability of the region. Despite being located in a high rainfall zone with a subtropical climate, even areas with abundant rainfall are experiencing drought-like conditions in recent years due to the influence of global climate change. Droughts and floods represent adverse climatic conditions resulting from insufficient and excessive rainfall, respectively.

The concept of coexisting harmoniously with nature has long been an essential element of the culture, traditions, and ways of life of many indigenous communities worldwide. Their traditional customs, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore, artistic expressions, and craftsmanship all contribute to fostering balanced relationships among nature, the environment, and the universe. This way of life not only highlights the indigenous people’s knowledge systems but also provides insight into their cosmology, ontology, and epistemology.

Similarly, the local communities of India’s North-East possess invaluable intangible cultural heritage and substantial collective moral and cultural wealth. For them, forests, mountains, and rivers serve as reservoirs of traditional knowledge and wisdom. Regrettably, mainstream agricultural and forestry practices have marginalized these local populations in discussions, perpetuating the stereotype of indigenous individuals as lacking agency.

The effects of climate change on regions such as Northeast India have received limited attention and remain less understoodt. This lack of understanding adds to the uncertainty of assessing vulnerability and managing risks in the future. Nevertheless, there are some signs and indicators suggesting that the impacts of climate change are already becoming apparent in the region. Extreme precipitation events, such as heavy rainstorms and cloud bursts, can have significant impacts on the delicate geomorphology of the Himalayan region within the Brahmaputra basin. These events may lead to more widespread landslides and soil erosion. Climate change could bring about substantial alterations in the response of hydrologic systems, erosion processes, and sedimentation in the Himalayan river basins.

Two exceptionally intense cloud bursts occurred in 2004—one in the western Meghalaya hills and the other in Western Arunachal Pradesh—resulting in devastating flash floods in the Goalpara and Sonitpur districts of Assam, which border Meghalaya and Arunachal. These floods resulted in a tragic loss of life, extensive damage to agriculture, and harm to wildlife.

More recent examples of flash floods stemming from extreme rainfall include two events on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River, causing significant damage to human lives and property. The first event occurred during the monsoon season on June 14th, 2008, due to heavy rainfall in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh north of Lakhimpur District. This led to flash floods in the Ranganadi, Singara, Dikrong, and Kakoi rivers, claiming at least 20 lives and inundating over 50 villages, displacing more than 10,000 people.

The second event took place in the post-monsoon season on October 26th, affecting a long stretch of northern Assam valley adjacent to the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. It resulted in flash flooding in four major rivers (all of which are tributaries of the Brahmaputra) and numerous smaller rivers. This flash flood episode was caused by heavy rainfall associated with the Tropical Depression ‘Rashmi,’ which originated over the West Central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra coast. It primarily affected the catchments of the Puthimari River (Assam-Bhutan border), Jia-Bharali River (Assam-Arunachal Border), Ranganadi River (Assam-Arunachal Border), and the Subansiri River (Assam-Arunachal Border).

Being personally associated with political and environmental activism in the Eastern and North-Eastern regions of India, I bring forward the work of one of the most prominent student-led organisations ‘Shirishko Phool’ – which works for the cause of the ethnic and linguistic minorities of India, with a focus on Nepali speaking communities from Bengal and the North-East. With the aim of amplifying the voices of people that are often overlooked in the mainstream discourses of regional and environmental politics, Shirishko Phool recognises that environmental depletion is a result of human greed and disregard for the natural world. The history of inhumane extraction of resources is not new to us.  By rampantly digging for more and more goods, we have simply turned a blind eye to what such exploitation may result in. As long as the hills are merely seen as land masses to be violated and nothing more, this won’t stop .In light of this catastrophic incident, the members of the student-led activism group urges everyone to join them in this drive to help the victims and  provide the much needed financial help to the families stuck in Sikkim.

If you are interested in knowing more about this current ecological crisis in Sikkim and in general about the North-East of India, I would be happy to connect with you. Moreover, if you are interested in contributing to the fundraising efforts, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.