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Anti-Dam Protests Against the Upper Siang Hydropower Project
Context: Two anti-dam activists from Arunachal Pradesh were preventively detained on July 8, ahead of the Union Power Minister’s visit. Activists claimed they intended only to submit a memorandum regarding the contentious Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project.
Upper Siang Project Details:
- Project Capacity: Proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project.
- Location: On the Siang river in Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
India is aiming to raise its hydroelectric power potential 42GW to 67 GW by 2031-32.
- River Path: Siang originates near Mount Kailash in Tibet as Tsangpo, flows 1,000 km, bends around Namcha Barwa peak, and enters Arunachal Pradesh as Siang.It is the principal constituent of the Brahmaputra River and is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in China, where it is joined by the Dibang and Lohit rivers in India.
- Government Proposal: In 2017, the government proposed replacing two projects (Siang Upper Stage-I 5,500 MW and Siang Upper Stage-II 3,750 MW) with a single multi-purpose project of higher capacity.
- Construction: The project, to be built by NHPC, would include a 300-metre high dam, the largest in the subcontinent.
- Existing Projects: As per a 2022 report by the Central Electrical Authority, the Siang river basin has 29 hydroelectric projects (installed capacity over 25 MW) totaling 18,326 MW.
- Project Contribution: The Upper Siang project’s capacity is roughly 60% of the total installed capacity of existing projects.
Strategic Importance:
- Counter to China: The project is seen as a strategic counter to China’s hydropower projects on the Tsangpo, particularly the 60,000 MW ‘super dam’ in Tibet’s Medog county.
- Water Reservoir: The Upper Siang project is intended to act as a reservoir to counter potentially reduced water flow from China’s projects.
Environmental and Social Concerns:
- Environmental Impact: Concerns about the project’s impact on delicate ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity.
- Displacement: The project is expected to submerge more than 300 villages of the Adi tribe, including Yingkiong, the Upper Siang district headquarters.
- Cultural Heritage: The Siang and its tributaries are vital to the livelihoods, cultural practices, and sustenance of local tribes, and they pose a threat to their way of life.
- Concerns on National Interest Framing: Activists are wary of framing the project as a national security issue, citing the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act which exempts strategic projects within 100 km from borders from clearance.
- Activist Statement: The activist highlighted the displacement issue, stating that there is no viable relocation area due to the harsh conditions uphill.
Hydroelectric Power Overview
- Hydroelectric energy, also called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity, is a form of energy that harnesses the power of water in motion—such as water flowing over a waterfall—to generate electricity.
- The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as water flows downhill.
- Major Hydroelectric Projects in India:
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- Tehri Hydroelectric Power Plant: Bhagirathi River, Uttarakhand.
- Koyna Hydroelectric Project: Maharashtra.
- Sri Sailam Dam: Andhra Pradesh.
- Sardar Sarovar Dam: Navagam, Gujarat.