{"id":155575,"date":"2025-02-15T19:38:23","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T14:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=editorial-analysis&#038;p=155575"},"modified":"2025-02-15T19:38:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T14:08:23","slug":"teesta-dam-reconstruction","status":"publish","type":"editorial-analysis","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/teesta-dam-reconstruction","title":{"rendered":"The Teesta Dam and the Long Shadow of Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently an<\/span><b> expert committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Climate Change recommended a proposal to rebuild t<\/span><b>he Teesta-3 dam on the Teesta river in Sikkim<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Climate Change and Glacier Melting\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Global Warming: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Global warming is <\/span><b>accelerating glacier melting.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Impact of Black Carbon: Black Carbon (soot)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> particles speed <\/span><b>up melting.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Increase in Glacial Lakes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Glacial lakes have increased by<\/span><b> 33.7% from 2011 to 2024.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expansion:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> South Lhonak lake expanded from the<\/span><b> 1960s to 167 hectares in 2023.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Key Issues in Teesta-3 Dam Reconstruction<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Pre-Disaster Viability:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The dam was considered<\/span><b> commercially viable before the disaster.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk Factors: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Concerns include <\/span><b>earthquake and landslide risks.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Regulatory Issues<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Non-compliance with<\/span><b> regulations and alleged corruption.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Environmental Concerns:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Environmentalists question the safety of <\/span><b>large hydro projects in the Himalayas.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Proposed Design of Teesta-3 2.0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Construction Material<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Constructed using only concrete (no rocks).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Enhanced Spillway Capacity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The<\/span><b> spillway (water release system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) will be three times larger.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Safety Measures:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> An<\/span><b> early-warning system <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will be installed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Climate Resilience: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on &#8216;<\/span><b>worst-case scenario&#8217; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rainfall predictions by IMD.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Safety of New Design<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Unpredictability: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate change is<\/span><b> unpredictable, and floods <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may differ from past events.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Limitations of Rainfall-Based Modeling: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Experts argue that rainfall-based modeling is unreliable. Sediment transport, erosion, and <\/span><b>riverbed changes are not fully accounted fo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk of Stronger Floods: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a more intense<\/span><b> flood occurs, damage could be even worse.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Expert Opinions and Concerns<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Flaws<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: IIT Bhubaneswar, IISc Bangalore, and ITBP studies highlight<\/span><b> flaws in GLOF modeling.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Challenges in Climate Predictions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate models struggle to predict extreme rainfall accurately.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Limitations of Engineering Solutions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">US experts argue, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Engineering cannot solve climate change;<\/span><\/i><b><i> retreat is inevitable.&#8221;<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Need for Risk-Focused Decision-Making: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Priority should be risk mitigation, <\/span><b>not just economic viability.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Possible Solutions<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Shifting Focus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Shift focus to <\/span><b>small-scale hydro projects <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with less risk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthen Early Warning Systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Improve e<\/span><b>arly warning and monitoring systems.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>River Basin Management<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Implement effective river basin management.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Disaster-resilient infrastructure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Build <\/span><b>disaster-resilient infrastructure.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk Assessment:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Develop a<\/span><b> clear risk assessment framework <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with safety thresholds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Teesta-3 case is a c<\/span><b>ritical lesson in environmental governance. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Infrastructure projects should prioritize safety over profit.\u00a0 Climate change makes disaster<\/span><b> risks unpredictable and severe.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 A<\/span><b> balanced approach is needed &#8211; e<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conomic growth with sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6988%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Mains Practice Question<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/examine-the-feasibility-of-large-dam-projects-in-the-himalayan-region\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2023 Sikkim Glacial Lake Outburst Flood exposed the vulnerabilities of hydropower infrastructure in the Himalayan region. Critically examine the feasibility of large dam projects in the Himalayan region in the context of climate change-induced risks and environmental sustainability. 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