Itanagar, Jun 9: A group of 114 scientists, researchers and environmental professionals has extended strong support to the Indigenous Adi communities of Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang Valley, voicing concern over the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the signatories urged the central and Arunachal Pradesh governments to halt all activities related to the dam, citing the potential for irreversible ecological damage and the erosion of Indigenous cultural heritage. The collective also demanded adherence to the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in any decision-making concerning the project.
The SUMP, projected to be India’s largest hydroelectric project and among the biggest in South Asia, is proposed on the Siang River. While government officials claim the project enjoys majority local support, with Chief Minister Pema Khandu assuring that public consultations will precede any construction, the scientists’ statement challenged this assertion.
Describing the Siang River—revered as ‘Ane Siang’ or ‘Mother Siang’—as sacred to the Adi people, the statement noted that the dam would submerge extensive terraced rice fields, dismantle traditional irrigation systems, and sever ties to ancestral agroecological knowledge. The project site falls within a global biodiversity hotspot where, over the past 15 years, at least 48 new or rediscovered species have been recorded, including the Siang swamp eel and a rare velvet worm.
The river is also known to be a habitat for endangered species such as the Golden Mahseer and the elusive Opsarius siangi.
While proponents of the dam argue that it is essential for strategic preparedness in light of China’s hydropower activities upstream on the Yarlung Tsangpo (the upper stream of the Siang) and for boosting clean energy in the Northeast, the scientists cautioned against sacrificing ecological and cultural values for infrastructure development.
“Strategic infrastructure cannot come at the cost of ecological wisdom and Indigenous rights,” the statement said, warning that conventional compensation mechanisms fail to account for intangible losses—such as spiritual bonds with rivers, ritual practices, and customary land tenure.
Protests against the project have intensified in villages like Beging and Geku, with local women spearheading sit-ins and road blockades to halt survey operations. Demonstrators have also opposed the deployment of paramilitary personnel in the area, terming it an attempt to silence dissent.
Activists and community members have termed the survey activities “undemocratic” and have demanded a shift away from mega-dam-centric models of development.
“The Siang Valley is a national treasure. It demands protection, not displacement,” the scientists asserted, calling for development frameworks that centre rivers, forests, and Indigenous communities.
They warned that failure to adopt such an approach could result in long-term ecological and social harm.
