Proposed Siang Dam Project Sparks Deep Division and Protests in Arunachal Pradesh

Protests And Tension

Villagers in Arunachal Pradesh are strongly opposing the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project because they fear losing their land and ancestral homes. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation has identified three sites for the dam at Parong, Dite Dime, and Ugeng/Komkar. Residents have blocked roads, stopped company workers, and called for the removal of security forces. Tensions flared in October when a regional bandh led to violence in Pasighat, where crowds burned a police station and an NHPC office, torched vehicles, and attacked politicians' homes.

Community Impact

Leaders of the Adi community state that at least 27 villages will go underwater if the dam is built. Diji Tamuk, who heads the apex organisation Adi Bane Kebang United, warns that the entire state will suffer if the Siang River is disturbed. Authorities have arrested four people under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, including Adum Tayom, who was later freed from preventive custody. The state government defends the plan for strategic reasons, pointing to a massive Chinese dam upstream on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.

Context

Large infrastructure projects in remote border regions often face strong local resistance when communities fear displacement and environmental damage. At the same time, governments frequently push for strategic developments near international borders to secure water and energy resources against rival nations.