Residents across 27 villages in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang and Siang districts are resisting the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), citing threats to ancestral land, agricultural livelihoods and community identity. The main reservoir is reportedly planned near Geku, around 35 km downstream of Yingkiong. Villagers oppose NHPC’s proposed drilling for the project’s pre-feasibility report and fear that dam construction and changes in water storage or release could expose settlements and farmland to submergence risks. The protests have intensified amid reported seizures of traditional daos by security forces and are disrupting agricultural activities and community festivals, with some farmers considering foregoing the November paddy harvest. Residents reject compensation as a substitute for their homeland and question whether a mega dam is the appropriate response to China’s hydropower plans upstream. The opposition highlights the need for transparent environmental and social assessments, meaningful consultation with indigenous communities and careful evaluation of downstream risks, livelihoods and alternative approaches before advancing major hydropower infrastructure.
Source: The Times of India