Sudden release of water by TLDP triggers panic downstream

On Monday evening, the district administration of Jalpaiguri started miking that huge quantity of water is being released in the Teesta.

MP, 8 Jan 2024, Jalpaiguri / Darjeeling: The sudden release of water by the Teesta Low Dam, Stage IV, Kalijhora in the Kalimpong district on Monday afternoon without prior notice, sparked panic downstream specially in the Jalpaiguri district. 

Incidentally both the Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts had faced widespread damages owing to flashfloods in the River Teesta triggered by a glacial lake outburst in North Sikkim on October 4, 2023, that had washed away the Teesta III Dam at Chungthang. 

On Monday evening, the district administration of Jalpaiguri started miking that huge quantity of water is being released in the Teesta. 

This triggered widespread panic among the residents living on the banks of the river. Local Gram Panchayats stated that they evacuated some picnickers from vulnerable spots along the banks after the miking. 

District Administration sources in Jalpaiguri stated that around 4pm they had received news that 4,000 cumec water was released in the Teesta. 

Immediately the district administration alerted the SDO, BDOs and started miking in Milanpalli, Domohona, Vivekanandapalli, Sukanta Nagar Colony and Sarada Palli. 

‘We immediately took necessary steps. Though there was an increase in the water level, no untoward incident was reported. 

However there was widespread panic among the residents,’ said Pradhan Hembram, the Pradhan of the Patkata Gram Panchayat. 

‘We have not forgotten the devastation of October 4. We were in fear today also. Owing to the low water level in the river owing to the ongoing dry spell, we escaped this time,’ stated Sukumar Sarkar of Sukantanagar Colony. 

Reports are that the water was released from the Teesta Low Dam Project (TLDP,) Stage IV in Kalijhora in the Kalimpong district on Monday afternoon. 

‘We were not notified about the release of water by the NHPC,’ stated T Balasubramanian, District Magistrate, Kalimpong. 

Sources stated that the district administration of both the Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts have taken up the matter with the NHPC that in future water is not released without prior information. 

NHPC authorities could not be contacted for comments. 

The TLDP IV is run by the NHPC. With an installed capacity of 160 MW it was commissioned in 2016. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/nation/sudden-release-of-water-by-tldp-triggers-panic-downstream-547412

KalimNews: A reliable source informed that a worker of the TLDP Stage IV of NHPC died while doing a maintenance work. Amit Kumar (31) of Haryana died during a maintenance work being done at one of the gates of the Stage IV and he was pulled by the water force. To rescue him flood gates were opened releasing a huge amount of water which created panic.