Icy floodwaters kill at least 41 people in India after major dam bursts by Himalayan lake

At least 41 people were killed and 100 are missing after torrents of ice-cold flood water decimated mountain towns in India’s Himalayan region.

Waters of a glacial lake overflowed on Wednesday, cracking open Sikkim State's biggest hydroelectric dam before cascading through towns in the valley below.

More than 2,000 people were rescued, but relief camps were set up for over 22,000 people impacted by the floods.

The South Llonak Lake has been rising in recent years as a warming climate melts the glaciers that feed it, putting pressure on the dam that contains it.

There have been intense rainfall in the area recently, and a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck nearby Nepal on Tuesday afternoon may also have been a factor, experts said.

The floodwaters destroyed 270 homes, bridges, pipelines, schools and parts of a highway that links Sikkim, the state capital, with the rest of the country.

Several army camps were also swamped by the water, leaving military vehicles buried under the mud, images released by the Indian military showed.

The design and placement of the six-year-old Teesta 3 dam have been controversial from its inception as part of an Indian push to expand hydropower energy.

Local activists argued that the location was too dangerous and that the dam didn’t include enough safety measures.

A report compiled by the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority in 2019 identified Lhonak Lake as “highly vulnerable” to flooding that could breach dams and cause extensive damage to life and property.

The dam’s operator, and local agencies responsible for dam safety, did not respond to requests for comment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said in a statement that the government would support state authorities.

Despite risks to dams due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather, the Indian federal government aims to increase India’s hydroelectric dam output by half, to 70,000 megawatts, by 2030.

Disasters caused by landslides and floods are common in India’s Himalayan region during the June-September monsoon season.

But scientists say they are becoming more likely as global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers there.

“This is, incredibly sadly, another classic case of a cascading hazard chain that amplifies as you go downstream,” said Jakob Steiner, a climate scientist with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, commenting on Wednesday's flash flooding.

Earlier this year, Steiner’s organization published a report saying that Himalayan glaciers could lose 80% of their volume if global warming isn’t controlled.

Last month, dam breaches caused by Storm Daniel caused devastating damage to the city of Derna in Libya.

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