New Delhi: A body representing two of Sikkim’s ethnic communities has called on the Union government to draw lessons from the recent flash flood in Nepal and cancel all upcoming and planned hydroelectric ventures in the Himalayan state.According to Nepal Electricity Authority, an earthquake-triggered avalanche of ice and rock in Tibet caused severe damage to at least 13 hydropower projects situated along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river valleys.The landslide struck the Gyirong port area in Tibet before surging into Nepal, generating flash floods that swept away roads and energy infrastructure. It also submerged several villages. Among the facilities hit was Nepal’s 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Plant, located in the Rasuwa district. Notably, floods first hit Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning.The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to freeze all new hydropower initiatives in the state and commission an independent, time-probe investigation into projects already operating there.Also read: Explainer: What Triggered the Nepal Flash Floods?Tseten Taski Bhutia, SIBLAC’s convenor and also chief advisor to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sikkim unit underlined that the floods in Nepal suggest “a fresh assessment of development activities” is required.“The disaster in Nepal highlights the vulnerability of the Himalayan region, requiring a fresh assessment of development activities,” he said, adding that the Union government needed to rethink its plans for further hydroelectric development on Sikkim’s rivers.Bhutia also pressed for a thorough, independent review covering the environmental, geological, seismic, social, and national security dimensions of every hydropower project in Sikkim, both existing and proposed, and asked that the government release a white paper detailing the outcomes of this assessment.This is not the first time Sikkim has faced disasters tied to its hydropower infrastructure.In October 2023, a glacial lake outburst flood devastated the 1,200MW Teesta-III project at Chungthang and caused extensive damage to power infrastructure downstream along the Teesta River.On Friday (August 28), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that as many as 320 Indian nationals remain missing or uncontactable following flash floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa district earlier this week. Besides that more than 100 individuals who are of Indian origin and may hold other nationalities also remain uncontactable, the MEA added.According to the BBC, the death toll in Nepal has risen to 547, locals officials said.