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India: Sikkim state's devastating floods could have been prevented; communities raised concerns against hydropower dams for years
In Sikkim, indigenous communities have been raising concerns against development of hydropower dams in the fragile glacial region for at least two decades. Their concerns were ignored and on October 4, a flash flood ravaged North Sikkim, causing at least 33 deaths and scores more injuries. Villages and indigenous groups are now displaced. The Government initially tried to cover up the cause of devastation by blaming it on a cloudburst.