Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP)

Arunachal government deploys central forces to counter dam protestors in Siang Valley.

About Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project

• The Upper Siang project is a proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh.

About Siang river

• The Siang, originating near Mount Kailash in Tibet (Tsangpo), flows over 1,000 km eastward, enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang, and later becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam.
• Initially proposed as two separate projects, it was consolidated into one larger project in 2017, to be built by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), featuring a 300-metre high dam.
  • The Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project is exempt from environmental clearance requirements under the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act of 2023.

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Strategic Importance

• Counter China’s hydel projects on the Tsangpo, particularly a 60,000 MW ‘super dam’ in Tibet’s Medog county poses significant threats, including flash floods and water scarcity.
• This super dam’s capacity is nearly 3x that of the Three Gorges Dam in China and is intended to divert water to northern China.

Environmental and Social Concerns: Anti-dam organizations express concerns about the project’s environmental and social impact.

• Threat to delicate ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Displacement of communities: The project could submerge over 300 villages of the Adi Tribe.
• In 2022, the Gauhati High Court cancelled all 44 dams proposed on the Siang river.
• • Despite the cancellation, there are still plans to build dams on the Siang river.

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