Why India’s answer to China’s mega dam is facing resistance in Siang valley
India's proposed 11,200 MW hydropower project in the Siang valley is facing strong opposition from indigenous communities who fear displacement and environmental damage. The government argues the dam is a strategic necessity to counter China's upstream mega-dam projects and ensure water security.
Why it matters
The project highlights the tension between national strategic interests and the rights of local indigenous populations in the context of regional geopolitical competition.
India’s biggest hydropower project, proposed across three districts of Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang valley, is being pitched as a strategic counter to China’s mega dam upstream. But the plan has triggered resistance from indigenous tribes who fear the reservoir could submerge villages and sever their deep-rooted ties with the river. The Siang, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, enters Arunachal Pradesh near Gelling and flows 294km before joining the Dibang and Lohit at Sadiya in Assam to form the Brahmaputra. Prabin Kalita examines the battle over the project.Where is the dam locatedThe 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) being implemented by NHPC will be spread across three districts in Siang belt — Upper Siang, Siang and East Siang. The idea goes back to 1983, and it was declared a national project in 2008.
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