Centre puts Arunachal's Siang valley dam project on fast track to counter China threat

It is significant that a public consultation with elected public representatives, civil society organisations and representatives from project-affected families attended the meeting on Saturday. The people likely to be affected by the project registered a vocal protest against the proposed project before the meeting in which high security police personnel checked them by seizing their placards and banners.

Elected and government representatives who participated in the consultation meeting included member of parliament (MP) Tapir Gao, member of legislative assembly (MLA) Alo Liibang, Ninong Ering, Oni Panyang and Minister Ojing Tasing. They all urged people to support in conducting a pre-feasibility report (PFR) of the project.

Tuting-Yingkiong MLA Alo Libang, representing the state government, stated that if the public does not support the project, he would respect their decision. He also raised questions of the dam height and exact location for the public’s information and how people are going to be rehabilitated.

He proposed a five per cent revenue sharing from the project. Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering urged the public to allow the conduct of a PFR of the project.

Security sources pointed out that the NHPC was advocating for the project on the grounds of national security and the adverse impact of the Chinese dam.

In 2021, the People’s Republic of China approved the construction of the 60 GW Motong hydropower station on the Yarlung Tsangpo, which falls in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The Yarlung river connects with the Brahmaputra (Siang in Arunachal) river on the Indian side. According to initial studies by NHPC and the state government, water flow to India can be reduced by up to 80 per cent due to China’s project. In a recent presentation, the NHPC also hinted at the possibilities of China using it as a ‘water bomb’ or even to induce floods in Indian territory.

The Siang river has previously witnessed flash floods at least three times due to breaches in dams on the Chinese side. A recent official presentation by NHPC said, “It is estimated that 40 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water may be diverted by the Chinese project. The total annual yield at the Siang Upper Project is around 112 BCM. During the lean season, the flow may reduce by about 60 per cent at Pasighat and 25 per cent at Pandu (Guwahati) without the Upper Siang Project.”

Meanwhile, security sources said that the union cabinet has recently announced financial assistance for hydropower (or hydel) projects aimed at the initial project management of the Siang upper valley dam.

The proposed project has a three-pronged agenda — flood management, water flow correction, and power generation as a by-product. State-owned hydropower major NHPC has been entrusted with developing a detailed project report (DPR) and project feasibility report (PFR). According to estimates by NHPC, the dam will have the capacity to generate 10-12 gigawatts (GW) of hydropower, making it the largest hydel project in India. The projected cost is expected to be Rs 1 trillion, security sources said.