Hundreds of environmentalists, civil society organizations urged the President of India Droupdi Murmu to withdraw paramilitary forces deployed to quell indigenous people’s protest against proposed 11000 MW hydropower dam surveys in Siang valley of Arunachal. They said the proposed dam will cause disasters and loss of biodiversity and indigenous habitats.
According to the letter written to the Murmu, over 351 concerned citizens – activists, researchers, lawyers, scientists, journalists, experts, community representatives and 109 people’s organisations and environmental groups, especially from the Himalayan region appealed for immediate withdrawal of paramilitary troops in the Siang valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Central government has made a paramilitary force deployment meant to facilitate a pre-feasibility survey for the 11000 MW Siang Upper Valley Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The project will cause the submergence of dozens of indigenous Adi tribe villages.
So far villagers are protesting peacefully in their villages and no untoward incidents have been reported.
Expressing solidarity with the indigenous populations of the region, the submission to the President draws attention to the fact that this will be India’s largest hydropower project.
The letter goes on to highlight recent unprecedented rise in catastrophic disasters, events like cloud bursts, floods, glacial lake outbursts in Himalayan region caused thousands of deaths and massive destruction of infrastructure.
The 2013 Uttarakhand floods led to deaths of over 5000 people officially and damage to multiple hydro projects. In 2021 an avalanche in Chamoli caused catastrophic floods that destroyed hydropower infrastructure and claimed over 200 lives. In 2023, the Teesta III Dam was destroyed by a Glacial lake outburst in Sikkim. And this year in Himachal Pradesh the Malana Dam burst as it was hit by a sudden flood from upstream.
The letter further highlights the proposed survey violates constitutional statutes, especially Section 5 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.
“These survey is being done without the consent of the local village councils and is also a violation of constitutional statutes,” states the letter.
Experts say the Siang region is a global biodiversity hotspot particularly within the Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve which spans across West Siang, Upper Siang, and Dibang Valley. It has one of the most biodiverse areas in the state with a wide variety of flora and fauna, including many endemic species.