Flood in Bhutan

Unusually heavy rainfall in October 2025 caused severe flooding across Bhutan and parts of the eastern Himalayas. In western Bhutan, a technical failure at the Tala Hydropower Dam led the Wangchhu River to overflow its banks, prompting flood warnings downstream in India’s North Bengal Dooars region.

Precautionary evacuations in Bhutan prevented casualties from the dam incident, but rising river levels increased the risk of flash floods downstream. Landslides and flooding across Bhutan, northeast India, and Nepal caused significant damage, with at least 28 deaths reported in Darjeeling and over 60 fatalities across the wider Himalayan region.

Bhutan’s National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology alerted Indian authorities to the potential flood risk, while India’s National Disaster Response Force remained on standby for relief and rescue operations. The flooding also affected tea plantations in North Bengal, inundating several estates and displacing thousands of people. With rainfall continuing, conditions remained critical and the risk of further flooding persisted.