Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has assured communities protesting against the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project that their concerns will be addressed through open dialogue, transparency and meaningful public consultation. In an open letter to members of the indigenous Adi community, Khandu clarified that no decision has been taken to construct the proposed dam, and that work under way is limited to preparing a pre-feasibility report.
Addressing protesters as his beloved Adi brothers and sisters, Khandu acknowledged growing apprehension over the possible impact on ancestral land, homes, livelihoods and the Siang River, which the community reveres as Aane Siang, or Mother Siang. He said the government would not move forward without considering community concerns.
A report, not a decision
Khandu explained that the pre-feasibility report would establish the project’s basic viability, assess its likely consequences and identify alternatives for protecting the Siang and Brahmaputra river systems. He stressed that the report would not amount to final approval and would not automatically mean the dam gets built. Any decision on construction, he assured residents, would require detailed public consultations and the consent of affected people, under provisions including the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Why the government is examining the project
Khandu pointed to China’s ongoing construction of a major dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Medog County, roughly 40 kilometres from the border, reportedly begun without consultation with India. According to the chief minister, around 65 per cent of the water flowing into the Siang originates in China. He warned of risks from sudden high river flows to dry-season shortages, and argued India needed scientific options to improve water security and maintain ecological flows.
Protests and the road ahead
The outreach comes amid sustained opposition from sections of the Adi community, who fear construction could submerge ancestral villages, displace families and disrupt traditional livelihoods and cultural practices. Demonstrations included a 36-hour shutdown disrupting schools, markets, offices and transport in parts of Upper Siang district, with protesters demanding the release of detained demonstrators and the suspension of survey activities. The state Congress unit has opposed the project and demanded its cancellation. The project was declared a National Project by the Union government in 2008, but the protests have placed public consultation and community consent at the centre of the debate.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has sought to project calm on frontier questions facing the state, while Assam and Arunachal Pradesh recently agreed to form a joint committee on their long-running boundary dispute. The Siang dialogue adds a further strand: a chief minister writing directly to a community whose trust the project will need.
#PemaKhandu #SiangDam #ArunachalPradesh #AdiCommunity #Hydropower #SiangRiver
