Skip to main content

Nationwide groups express concern over Siang Dam Project, call for dialogue and transparency

By A Representative
 
Several civil society organisations and individuals from across India have issued a joint statement expressing concern over the proposed 11,500 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) by the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) in Arunachal Pradesh. The signatories extended support to the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF), which is opposing the project, citing its potential impact on local communities and the environment.
The statement, released on May 30, called for the withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed in Beging village for conducting a Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) for the project. It also demanded the removal of a drilling machine from the site and a commitment from the state government that no further activities related to the PFR would proceed without the free, prior, and informed consent of local residents.
The signatories also raised concern over the police action against advocate Ebo Mili, who was detained on May 26 following a complaint by the Siang Deputy Commissioner regarding a violation of Section 144. Mili was reportedly held without informing his family. According to the statement, this is the third such instance of his detention since 2023.
The groups called for a halt to all project-related activities and recommended that the government initiate a dialogue with affected communities. They also urged a comprehensive environmental and social review of the Siang basin, recognition of customary land rights through the Forest Rights Act, and consideration of smaller-scale hydropower alternatives suited to local needs.
According to SIFF, at least 27 villages in the Siang and Upper Siang districts may be affected if the project is implemented. The Siang river, also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, is an important water source for the region and supports the livelihoods and cultural practices of communities such as the Adi, Memba, Khamba, and Idu Mishmi. The project is expected to submerge farmland, forest areas, and locations traditionally used for hunting.
The Siang basin includes extensive forest cover and is home to plant and animal species listed under various schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act. The region also includes designated Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas. A 2013 study conducted as part of the environmental impact assessment process indicated that construction of all 43 planned dams in the basin would reduce the length of free-flowing river within India to less than one-third of its current extent. This could affect fish migration patterns, groundwater recharge, and the habitats of various species. The area is also located in a seismically active zone, and changes to the river’s flow may have implications for land stability and water availability downstream.
The statement also highlighted concerns about potential flood risks associated with large dams, citing past incidents in Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim. The SUMP has been described by the central and state governments as a strategic response to hydropower development in upstream areas of the Siang river in China. Officials have also projected significant revenue from hydropower for Arunachal Pradesh, estimating Rs 10,000 crore annually. However, several agreements with developers have been terminated in the past due to contractual issues.
The statement called for increased transparency in the planning and execution of hydropower projects in the region, including wider access to environmental and social impact reports. It also questioned the inclusiveness of public consultation processes conducted so far.
Among the 43 organisations endorsing the statement were the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice (NACEJ), Campaign to Defend Nature and People (CDNP), All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, and others. In addition, over 50 individuals signed the release, including legal professionals, academics, researchers, and activists from multiple states.
The signatories concluded by recommending that India engage in bilateral discussions with China on water-sharing issues, with the aim of avoiding unilateral river interventions and ensuring long-term water and ecological security.

Comments

TRENDING

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos  The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857  By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”