When a dam threatens your river, your village, and your way of life — you don’t sit quietly. You knock on the highest door available.
That’s exactly what the East Siang Downstream District Affected People’s Forum did on August 10, when a two-member delegation walked into a meeting with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu at Pasighat and placed a hard-hitting memorandum on the table — one that carries the weight of every community sitting downstream of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
A Delegation With a Clear Message
ESDDAPF president Oni Tamuk and general secretary Jobomchang Mengu led the delegation. They didn’t come with protests or slogans — they came with facts, concerns, and a demand for transparency. The memorandum submitted to the chief minister highlighted the concerns of downstream communities likely to be affected by the proposed SUMP. At the heart of it is a simple but urgent question: what happens to the people living downstream when a massive storage project reshapes the Siang?
It’s worth noting that the Upper Siang project has been one of the most talked-about and contested infrastructure proposals in the region. Huge in scale, strategic in intent — but deeply worrying for those who live along the river’s lower stretches.
Khandu Listens, Gives His Word
To his credit, the Chief Minister didn’t brush them off. Khandu acknowledged the concerns raised by the delegation and assured them that the memorandum would be discussed with the concerned government authorities. That’s not nothing. Getting a sitting chief minister to commit to raising downstream grievances with relevant authorities is, at the very least, a foot in the door.
A key outcome of the meeting was an assurance that a mass meeting and consultation would be organised with representatives of ESDDAPF and village representatives from downstream areas likely to be affected by the project. That promise — if kept — could be a turning point. Real consultation with actual villagers, not just bureaucrats shuffling papers in a distant office.
‘Positive Step’ — But the Clock Is Ticking
ESDDAPF termed the assurance a positive step towards ensuring that the voices of downstream communities are considered before major decisions concerning the project are taken. The forum was measured in its response — hopeful, but clearly watching. They know better than to celebrate a promise before it becomes action.
The forum said the concerns of downstream residents should be addressed through meaningful consultation, transparency and direct participation of affected communities. Three words that development projects across this region have too often ignored: meaningful, transparent, participatory.
Peaceful, But Firm
The forum also reiterated its commitment to pursuing the interests of downstream affected people through peaceful, democratic and constitutional means, and expressed hope that their concerns would receive due consideration during the decision-making process on the SUMP.
That last line deserves attention. These communities aren’t agitating — they’re engaging the system, respectfully and firmly. They’re doing everything right. Now the ball is squarely in the government’s court. A dam can generate power for thousands, but if it silences and displaces the very people who call the river home — what exactly has been built?
HASHTAGS
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