Itanagar: Proposed for the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project aims to regulate the Siang River flow. This nearly 11,000 MW structure represents India’s largest hydropower effort. It serves to mitigate flash floods, establish water infrastructure on a treaty-less river, and power the northeastern grid. Planners view the dam as a response to China’s 60,000 MW Medog Hydropower Station, which began construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo in mid-2025.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has described the project as "an insurance policy against unpredictability upstream, built at a time when India cannot simply wait for a bilateral water-sharing arrangement that may be years away." Still, the scale of the endeavor forces a collision with local life. While initial estimates suggested minimal impact, the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum now projects that approximately 27 villages and over 100,000 residents face displacement or loss of agricultural land.
Consultation remains fractured. In March 2026, families from Simong and Halleng villages signed agreements for preliminary surveys, but other residents have disputed these claims. The Adi Bane Kebang, an apex traditional body, opposes the current project framework. Previous security deployments during 2025 survey work further soured local sentiment. Experts argue that officials must integrate local knowledge held by the Adi and Galo communities, such as seasonal indicators and traditional irrigation techniques, into formal climate-resilience planning to avoid the instability seen in projects like Uttarakhand’s Tapovan-Vishnugad dam.
Comments