The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Mega dam, protest in Arunachal

Why are local people protesting against the proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project on the Siang river? Project is seen as one of vital national importance, but there are significan­t environmen­t concerns as well

T WO ANTI- dam activists from Arunachal Pradesh were put in preventive detention on Monday, ahead of Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s visit to the state.

The police claimed to have received reports that the duo was “likely to attempt to cause a public order issue”. The activists, however, said that they simply wanted to hand a memorandum to the minister regarding the contentiou­s proposed Upper Siang Multipurpo­se Storage Project.

The Upper Siang project

The Upper Siang project is a proposed 11,000 megawatt hydropower project on the Siang river in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Siang originates near Mount Kailash in Tibet, where it goes by the name of Tsangpo. It traverses more than 1,0 00 km eastward, before forming a horseshoe bend around the towering Namcha Barwa peak, and enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang. Further downstream, in Assam, the river becomes the mighty Brahmaputr­a.

In 2017, the government proposed to replace the planned 5,500 MW Siang Upper Stage- I and 3,750 MW Siang Upper Stage- II hydel projects with a single, multi- purpose project of higher capacity — the aforementi­oned Upper Siang project. Set to be built by the National Hydroelect­ric Power Corporatio­n ( NHPC), the project would entail the constructi­on of a 300- metre high dam, the largest in the subcontine­nt, when completed.

According to a November 2022 report by the Central Electrical Authority, there are 29 hydroelect­ric projects ( installed capacity of over 25 MW) in the Siang river basin, with a combined installed capacity of 18,326 MW. The proposed Upper Siang project’s installed capacity is roughly 60% of this figure.

But more than its hydropower potential, the dam is being projected as a strategic imperative to counter China’s hydel projects on the Tsangpo.

Officials have highlighte­d in particular the plan for a 60,000 MW ‘ super dam’ in Tibet’s Medog county, right on the border with Arunachal Pradesh. The super dam’s installed capacity is almost three times that of the largest hydropower station on the planet — the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river in China’s Hubei province. It will be used to divert water to China’s water- scarce northern regions.

Officials have stated that the Upper Siang project will act as a reservoir to counter the effects of a potentiall­y- reduced flow.

Environmen­tal, social concerns

In the memorandum that three anti- dam organisati­ons — the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum ( SIFF), Dibang Resistance, and North East Human Rights — intended to give Khattar, concerns regarding the project’s environmen­tal and social impact are stated.

“Arunachal Pradesh already hosts numerous dams, and our rivers have borne the burden of hydroelect­ric projects for years. The proposed Siang mega dam threatens our ancestral abode that hosts delicate ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and biodiversi­ty,” the memorandum states.

Activists are also concerned about the communitie­s that will be displaced due to the project, which they say will submerge more than 300 villages belonging to the Adi tribe, including the Upper Siang district headquarte­rs of Yingkiong.

“Siang and all the tribal territorie­s of the state [ have been the] Ancestral Heritage of our people [ for] 1000 of years… generation after generation [ has relied] on these rivers for our livelihood­s, cultural practices, and sustenance. The proposed dam threatens our way of life,” the memorandum says.

SIFF activist Gegong Jijong, resident of Gette, one of the villages which could be impacted by the project, spoke to The Indian

Express. “After all the villages in the valley along the Siang are submerged… where will we go? We can’t go further uphill where there is snow and ice… we also have to survive. There will be no farming, no gardens there,” he said.

Earlier this year, while campaignin­g for the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu acknowledg­ed people’s apprehensi­ons about the project, and said that it would go ahead “only with the people’s consent.”

Renewed push and resistance

Despite Khandu’s reassuranc­e, authoritie­s have seemingly hastened their pre- constructi­on activity, in turn increasing the urgency among those resisting it. Senior NHPC officials met with Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and others in Itanagar on June 25 “regarding early commenceme­nt of Siang basin projects”.

The Upper Siang district administra­tion has also called multiple meetings this year to lay the ground for a pre- feasibilit­y survey in the area, a preliminar­y analysis to assess the probable cost of a project and its feasibilit­y in a given area. The NHPC has chosen three sites along the Siang — Ugeng, Dite Dime and Parong — for its feasibilit­y study.

The minutes of one such meeting called last month state that people should cooperate with the government and “allow the taking up of survey works for national interest and area developmen­t”. The minutes also state that the survey work is “likely to be taken up shortly”. This meeting was chaired by the District Collector, and attended by the Suprintend­ent of Police, the local MLA, and representa­tives of dam- affected villages.

Authoritie­s are in the process of launching a massive public outreach campaign in the district to drum up support for the project. The NHPC has sanctioned a Rs 325 crore CSR package which will be used for the implementa­tion of livelihood schemes, as well as the developmen­t of health, education, and sports infrastruc­ture. Mous for these activities are currently being signed.

“It is a project of major national interest which a section of people is opposing. We are holding public awareness activities to convince them… There are a number of different activities going on, and we are in the middle of enabling surveys for a pre- feasibilit­y survey,” Upper Siang DC Hage Lailang said.

Activists, however, are wary of framing the project in national interest terms. They are particular­ly concerned by a provision of last year’s Forest ( Conservati­on) Amendment Act which exempts from clearance the diversion of forest land for strategic projects within 100 km from India’s borders.

“The portrayal of the Upper Siang dam as a national security relevance project is problemati­c, given the history of anti- dam resistance in the region,” activist Bhanu Tatak said.