Indigenous People From Arunachal Pradesh Protest Over NHPC’s 11,300 MW Hydro Power Dam Over Siang River

By Gautam Debroy

New Delhi: At a time when India has expressed serious concern over China’s 60,000 MW hydropower dam over Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra in Assam), Indigenous people from Arunachal Pradesh’s Sinag district have raised their voice against an 11,300 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) mega dam over the Siang river.

The proposed 11300 Siang Upper Multipurpose Project dam over the Siang river (Brahmaputra), with an estimated capacity of more than 11,300 MW and a height exceeding 500 meters above sea level, has triggered strong opposition and public protest from indigenous tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh and downstream areas in Assam.

Spearheading the protest over the dam, Siang Indigenous Farmers Union (SIFF) alleged that the proposed dam could displace over 1.5 lakh people, mostly from the Adi and other indigenous tribes, as well as submerge 27 villages, leading to the loss of ancestral homes and land rights.

“It will also cause loss of agricultural land and livelihood and cultural heritage sites, including Kekar Moying, a historic Adi landmark where the historic Anglo-Abor (British Adi) fight took place," said Bhanu Tatak, legal advisor from Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum in New Delhi on Saturday.

Planned near Geku village in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, the multipurpose project was proposed by NITI Aayog in 2017.

In April 2022, the central government directed the NHPC to carry out a pre-feasibility survey to understand the technical, economic, social and environmental feasibility of the project.

A September 2024 report from NHPC estimated the cost of the dam at US$13.2 billion.

“This dam could cause destruction of biodiversity hotspots, leading to the loss of indigenous medicinal plants and disruption of riverine ecosystems as the project is proposed in seismic zone V with imminent threat of dam-triggered earthquake and other seismic activity such as erosion, flooding,” said Tatak.

She further alleged that the central government has arbitrarily deployed central armed police forces in Siang district to stop the protestors.

“Intensive protests have been ongoing to this day by local project-affected families in Siang region, opposing the proposed dam project feasibility report (PFR), leading to public anguish and desperate measures like road blockade and verbal confrontation with district authorities,” Tatak said.

Referring to the central government's stand that the Siang multipurpose dam will be constructed to counter China's 60,000 MW dam over Yarlong Sangpo, Tatak said that only 30 per cent of Yarlung Tsangpo contributes to Siang and the claim that China is building a “Water Bomb” is misguided.

“Several research studies and data highlight that China is building integrated energy projects likely to involve multiple reservoirs. We demand that he government of India tell us about the full dimensions of Yarlong Sangpo dam at Medog county, whose construction China started in July,” she said.

Tatak said that the authorities have done arbitrary detention and arrest of protestors and members of SIFF.

"False charges and criminalisation of leaders, including leaders of SIFF and AdiSU (Adi student union) for protesting against the project," she said.

Tatak claimed alleged accounts of corruption and bribery to sign the MoU for the pre-feasibility report for the project.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has recently described China’s mega dam project as a ticking “water bomb” and an existential threat to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and their livelihoods.

“Suppose the dam is built and they (China) suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed,” Khandu has said.

Another member and legal advisor of SIFF, Ebo Mili, said that the implementation of the proposed 11300 MW SUMP, including pre-feasibility report surveys and pre-construction activities cum CSR or outreach activities, is ongoing by force without free, prior and informed consent of the affected indigenous communities.

“This approach appears to contravene not only international human rights standards, to which India is a signatory, but also the spirit and letter of constitutional safeguards designed to protect indigenous populations,” Mili said.

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