Stories
India Builds Upper Siang Dam Against China Threat While Adi Community Protests
- •China is constructing a massive 60000 MW hydro project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, raising security concerns for India regarding sudden water releases.
- •To counter this potential water bomb threat, India plans to build the 11200 MW Upper Siang Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh.
- •The local Adi tribal community is fiercely opposing the dam, fearing the submergence of 27 villages and the displacement of about 1.5 lakh people.
- •The Adi people consider the Siang River as their mother and an integral part of their ancestral heritage, culture, and traditional lifestyle.
Key Questions Answered
India is developing the 11,200 MW Upper Siang Multipurpose Project to serve as a strategic security shield against China's massive dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The project aims to provide crucial water storage and flood management capabilities to counter potential downstream threats posed by the Chinese project, alongside generating power.
The Adi community opposes the project because they fear it will submerge dozens of villages, agricultural lands, and sacred ancestral heritage sites, threatening their traditional lifestyle and livelihood. Apex bodies like the Adi Bane Kebang have demanded the complete scrapping of the project and the withdrawal of excess security forces.
State officials and Chief Minister Pema Khandu clarified that the pre-feasibility report survey is intended solely to conduct technical assessments and determine the basic viability of the proposed project. The government maintains that the survey is not a final approval for construction and that public engagement remains central to the process.
