Swept away by glacial flood, Sikkim dam is being rebuilt – but lives downstream remain shattered

In September 2023, Naga in north Sikkim resembled something of a model village. The panchayat and the residents had worked towards the aim of developing it as the sub-division headquarters of Mangan district, building good roads, and setting up impressive school and healthcare facilities.

But on October 4, 2023, the dream came crashing down.

That night, Nimo Lepcha, a resident of the village, felt his home shake. He rushed out, thinking it was an earthquake. But soon, news spread that the Teesta, a swift river that flowed through the valley below Naga, had flooded, sweeping away low-lying houses and crucial bridges that connected villages across the waters. While the waters did not reach Naga, the flood cut away the mountain under it, triggering a landslide that destabilised several houses and left their walls cracked.

Over the next two days, Nimo’s home continued to shake and develop cracks. Finally, he decided to move his family and important belongings to another house they owned in a part of the village that seemed less affected by the landslide.

Over the following months, life in the village returned to normal and people resumed their routines. But the calm was short-lived.

Ten months later, in early July 2024, when monsoons arrived in the region and...

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