The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), which may cost ₹ 1.13 lakh crore, was very viable and crucial in that state. He said the project is not for power generation alone but one which would regulate the flow of the Siang River and counter flood threats from upstream Chinese dams during the rainy season. The statement was made on the backdrop of China permitting the construction of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, which flows close to India.
China’s massive project of $ 137 billion is designed on a major gorge where the Bramhaputra curls back into Arunachal Pradesh before entering Bangladesh. In its current context, Dasen Khandu explained the SUMP – with a proposed installed capacity of 11,000 MW – as a purely national project. “Its tenor is not to produce electricity but to safeguard the Siang River and the people who have lived on it for decades now,” Khandu told a news agency.
The project is, however, not without challenges from local people where issues of displacement, environmental degradation and loss of stakeholders’ source of income are key factors that would hinder the successful implementation of the project. On the same note, Khandu pointed out the Chinese intention of building dams with intentions of diverting the waters of Brahmaputra to its dry region as a big minus since this would considerably decrease the flow of the Siang during the winters. And in such a scenario, the river could potentially reduce in size to the degree that one could easily walk over it, he said.
Khandu said that the SUMP would help develop a dam with a water storage capacity of 9 BCM to ensure continued river flow in the dry seasons. It would also serve as a cushion against megafloods in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh each time China decides to open the floodgates.
In speakers acknowledging ongoing bilateral dialogue between India and China, Khandu also warned, “China is unpredictable. There can be no let up when it comes to issues of defending our sovereignty and the well-being of the country.”
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