Syllabus:

GS3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Context: 

Recently, villagers from three districts in central Arunachal Pradesh began an indefinite sit-in against the proposed 11,000 MW hydroelectric project.

More on the News 

• The protesters, from villages in Siang, Upper Siang, and West Siang districts, oppose the 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multi-Purpose Project, fearing ecological damage and citing cultural reverence for the Siang River, which the Adi community calls ‘Ane’ (mother).
• The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF) led a major protest in Begging, demanding transparency and immediate withdrawal of forces. 
• Highlighting the massive destruction caused by dams in Uttarakhand and Sikkim SIFF raised objection that allowing the big dams, would adversely impact the villages and down the hills will be submerged causing large-scale displacements. 
• Union government wants early execution of the Siang project in order to check the possible threats from the 60,000MW dam China is building in the upper reaches of the river, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo. 

Siang Upper Project

• The Upper Siang project is a proposed 11,000-megawatt hydropower project on the Siang River in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Siang River:
  The Tsangpo – Yarlung Zangbo, as it is known in China when enters into Arunachal Pradesh, is known as the Dihang (or Siang) River.
  It has its origin near Mount Kailash in Tibet.
  It flows eastward for over 1,000 kilometers, then curves sharply around the towering Namcha Barwa peak in a horseshoe bend before entering Arunachal Pradesh, where it is joined by two mountain streams, the Lohit and the Dibang.
  Further downstream, upon reaching Assam, it takes on the name of the mighty Brahmaputra.

Impact of the Siang Project 

• Threat to Ancestral Abode: Arunachal Pradesh is already home to numerous dams, with our rivers enduring the impact of hydroelectric projects for many years. The proposed Siang mega dam now poses a grave threat to our ancestral land, which nurtures fragile ecosystems, vital wildlife habitats, and rich biodiversity.
• Displacement of Communities: Activists have raised concerns over the displacement of communities caused by the project, warning that it could submerge over 300 villages inhabited by the Adi tribe, including Yingkiong, the district headquarters of Upper Siang.
• Impact on livelihood: Generation after generation has depended on these rivers for livelihood, cultural traditions, and sustenance. The proposed dam may endanger this deeply rooted way of life.