TO DELHI MEDIA: The current (possibly GLOF triggered) Teesta flashfloods in Sikkim is definitely BIGGER than 2013 Uttarakhand and 2022 Himachal Pradesh. A MAJOR HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT HAS BEEN DESTROYED. The full extent of damage is going to be apparent soon. Sikkim is sparsely

scroll.in/article/105726… For almost two decades, activists in Sikkim raised concerns about hydro power dams in the teesta basin which could compound damages downstream in case of floods. No heed paid. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened this time, they tell me. Read:

#Dams work as sponges for private capital. That is the sole reason why we have so many dams in the #Himalayas. Read this excellent report from Vaishnavi Rathore where I mention how every factor being blamed for #SikkimFloods were already known to every state agency.

'No early warning system & insufficient dam safety turned Sikkim flood deadly' Flaws in dam design + impact of GLOFs were systematically ignored, say Affected Citizens of Teesta. Attempts to siphon water from lake failed bc of costs, terrain. More ↓: india.mongabay.com/2023/10/no-ear…

First high-resolution pre and post #GLOF images of the complete destruction of #Chungthang dam (#Teesta3HEP) caused due to rapid drainage of #SouthLhonakLake, #Sikkim via Planet Labs

I mentioned this in my discussion with Vaishnavi Rathore that financial losses from the recent #SikkimFloods will not affect the agencies & pvt companies building dams because they are fully insured. It will affect the uninsured poor whose houses & livelihoods have been washed away.

. Rinan Shah, PhD of the Reading Himalaya said, “Hotspots of biodiversity are often also the hotspots of marginalisation. Stopping the access of the locals to their resources ultimately pushes them to poverty as they reside at the margins of politics.” 3/5 counterview.net/2023/10/sikkim…

In my new article for Frontline The Hindu I contextualise hydropower development and the floods in Sikkim and northern West Bengal against the pervasive rhetoric of "development", and where that has gotten us #sikkim #teestaflood #himalaya frontline.thehindu.com/environment/an…

Does infrastructure = anxiety? CFP on 'Infrastructural Anxieties', co-edited by me and Dr. Mikel Venhovens. Please check call for details.

For our inaugural issue of the Policy Analysis Series we take an in-depth look at policies affecting the eastern Himalaya. mona chettri Rinan Shah, PhD Anisa Bhutia, PhD Read, share and download the report here: readinghimalaya.com/policy-analysi…

Engaging, Insightful and Innovative. Congratulations Tammi Jonas and Catie Gressier Australia’s new peasantry: towards a politics and practice of custodianship on agroecology-oriented farms tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Women are an important and very visible part of the workforce in Sikkim and EH. Yet, we know very little about their status in the labour market, access to social security, unemployment etc. Read the report by Reading Himalaya to know more.

Join the conversation on our second report in Policy Analysis Series on 'Women, Labour and Social Security' in Sikkim, India. The link to the report is here: readinghimalaya.com/wp-content/upl…

We are hiring! We are absolutely thrilled to be working with the Eastern Himalayan Foundation (EHF) on a baseline survey on the youth of Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills. EHF has been at the forefront of youth-oriented programmes in the region for many years now, (1/n)