Sikkim
Nodal Department:Department of Environment & Climate Change
5
Priority Sectors
80
Activities
30
SAPCC Indicators
9
State Departments
State Profile
Districts
6
Area
7,096 km²
Population
0.0611 Cr
Region
Northeast
Climate Zones
1
Avg Temperature
15°C
Annual Rainfall
2,739 mm
Forest & Tree Cover
3,406.73 km²
Sikkim's Progress on NAPCC Indicators
National Solar Mission · Showing 1 of 1 indicators
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Total Solar Power Deployment in the country
About Sikkim SAPCC
SAPCC Overview
Sikkim SAPCC 1.0 is explicitly labelled "Draft Copy," dated March 2011 and titled as covering 2012-2030. It was prepared through the Department of Science and Technology, a High Level Coordination Committee and five sector working groups. It contains incomplete placeholders in parts of its institutional description, so its proposals should not be represented as a final or currently operational framework.
Climate profile
- Sikkim extends from low river valleys to the high Himalaya over a very short horizontal distance. This steep elevation gradient produces tropical and subtropical conditions at lower elevations and temperate, subalpine and alpine conditions at progressively higher elevations.
- Mountains strongly influence the movement of monsoon winds. Windward slopes receive heavy rain, leeward areas are comparatively dry and the highest elevations receive substantial snowfall.
- Most precipitation is associated with the monsoon, but rainfall varies considerably over short distances. The draft notes that reliable long-term climate records were available mainly for Gangtok and Tadong, limiting statewide interpretation.
- The available station evidence records warmer nights, increasingly dry winters and changing rainfall patterns. Projections indicate continued warming and geographically varied seasonal rainfall, including concern about reduced winter precipitation in parts of southern Sikkim.
Climate stress at a glance
- The Teesta and Rangeet river systems, glaciers, glacial lakes, springs and high-altitude wetlands are central to water security, hydropower and ecosystems.
- Intense rainfall, steep slopes and fragile terrain create risks from landslides, erosion, flash floods and glacial-lake outburst floods.
- Forests, biodiversity, organic agriculture, horticulture, livestock, ecotourism and climate-sensitive rural livelihoods are major planning concerns.
- Settlements and transport routes are concentrated within limited habitable areas, making connectivity and resilient infrastructure especially important.