# Arunachal CM tells Siang dam protesters no decision without consultation and consent

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-03/siang-upper-project-khandu-letter/
Date: 3 November 2026 (2026-11-03)
Source: Indian Express, Page 12
UPSC papers: GS3, GS2, GS1
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** Arunachal's Chief Minister has told protesting Adi groups that the proposed 11,200 MW Siang dam is only being studied and will not be built without consultation and consent, even as the State presents it as a buffer against China's giant upstream dam.

On 2 November 2026, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote an open letter to members of the Adi community opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), an 11,200 MW hydropower and water-storage project on the Siang river. He said neither the Centre nor the State has decided to build the dam, that the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) now under preparation is only an initial assessment to establish basic feasibility and a factual basis for further technical study, not a final decision, and that no decision will be taken without detailed public consultation and the consent of affected people in line with the law. He called claims of forced eviction and land-taking without consent false, promised "open dialogue, transparency and meaningful public consultation", and warned that violence, threats, bandhs and blockades could not provide solutions and that those taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with according to the law. The letter came as several organisations held demonstrations during a 36-hour bandh in Upper Siang district.

Opposition has grown through the autumn. Sections of the Adi community, especially in the areas likely to be affected, fear submergence of ancestral villages, displacement, loss of farmland, forests and livelihoods, damage to their way of life, and dam safety in a seismically active region. Protests turned violent in late September and again on 23 October, when an NHPC office and a police station in Pasighat were set on fire; Khandu met legislators and Adi representatives separately on 25 October. The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee has demanded that the project be scrapped and said prior consent of affected people is essential. The Centre declared SUMP a National Project on 7 February 2008, one of 16 such projects. It is still at the pre-feasibility stage; if found viable it would still need a Social Impact Assessment, an Environmental Impact Assessment and a Detailed Project Report before construction. Its planned live storage is about 9.2 billion cubic metres.

The government's case rests on China. On 19 July 2025, China began building a dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet) in Medog County, about 40 km from the Indian border, without consulting India. The Medog project is planned at about 60 GW with five power stations. Khandu says nearly 65% of the Siang's water originates in China, leaving the valley exposed to sudden high flows with little warning and to scarcity in dry winters, and that SUMP "could be one of the options" to be studied scientifically for maintaining ecological flows in the Siang and the Brahmaputra. India's External Affairs Ministry has asked China for transparency and consultation with downstream countries. The dispute pits a strategic and water-security argument against indigenous land rights and ecological risk in one of the world's most seismically active mountain belts.

## Prelims facts

- The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is a proposed 11,200 MW project on the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh, declared a National Project on 7 February 2008.
- On 2 November 2026 CM Pema Khandu said no construction decision has been taken and none will be without public consultation and consent of affected people.
- The project is at the pre-feasibility stage; a Social Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment and Detailed Project Report would follow if it is viable.
- China began building the roughly 60 GW Medog project on the Yarlung Tsangpo on 19 July 2025, about 40 km from the Indian border.
- Opponents from the Adi community cite submergence, displacement, loss of land and forests, and seismic risk.

## Quick recall

- **Planned capacity of the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project?** 11,200 MW.
- **When was SUMP declared a National Project?** 7 February 2008; it is one of 16 National Projects.
- **Planned live storage of SUMP?** About 9.2 billion cubic metres.
- **When did China begin building the Medog dam?** 19 July 2025, on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Medog County, about 40 km from the Indian border.
- **Planned capacity of the Medog project?** About 60 GW, with five power stations.
- **Which community is protesting SUMP?** Sections of the Adi community of Arunachal Pradesh.
- **What is the Siang called in Tibet and in Assam?** Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet; Brahmaputra in Assam.
- **Which stage is SUMP at now?** Pre-feasibility; SIA, EIA and a DPR would follow if it is found viable.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, consider the following statements:
1. It is proposed on the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh.
2. It was declared a National Project in 2008.
3. Its Detailed Project Report has been approved and construction has begun.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. Statements 1 and 2 are correct: the project is on the Siang and was declared a National Project on 7 February 2008. Statement 3 is wrong: it is still at the pre-feasibility stage, and the CM says no construction decision has been taken.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2025, GS1: Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and of rehabilitation? Give your opinion. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q291-does-tribal-development-india-centre-around-two/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the Siang protests to show that displacement remains the central fear in tribal areas, and that consent is becoming a third axis beyond displacement and rehabilitation.
- UPSC Mains 2023, GS3: Dam failures are always catastrophic, especially on the downstream side, resulting in a colossal loss of life and property. Analyze the various causes of dam failures. Give two examples of large dam failures. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q286-dam-failures-always-catastrophic-especially-downstream-side/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the Siang and Medog projects to show why dam-safety concerns weigh heavily in seismically active Himalayan basins with upstream structures.
- UPSC Mains 2024, GS3: India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the development being undertaken in these areas under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q317-india-has-long-troubled-border-china-pakistan/)

## Mains practice question

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project has been projected as India's answer to China's upstream dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo. Discuss the strategic rationale and the social and ecological concerns it raises. (250 words)

### Model answer

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), an 11,200 MW project in Arunachal Pradesh with about 9.2 billion cubic metres of planned live storage, is at the pre-feasibility stage. On 2 November 2026 Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote to protesting Adi groups that no decision will be taken without consultation and consent.

## Strategic rationale
- **Upstream risk:** China began building the roughly 60 GW Medog project on the Yarlung Tsangpo on 19 July 2025, about 40 km from the border, without consulting India.
- **Dependence:** the CM says nearly 65% of the Siang's water originates in China; sudden releases or dry-season cuts could hit Arunachal and Assam.
- **Buffer storage:** a large reservoir could absorb surges and maintain ecological flows.
- **Power:** 11,200 MW of clean electricity; a National Project since 2008.

## Social and ecological concerns
- **Displacement:** fear of submergence of ancestral Adi villages, farmland and forests.
- **Identity:** land and river are central to Adi culture and livelihood.
- **Seismic risk:** a large dam in a highly seismic zone raises dam-safety questions.
- **Trust deficit:** violence in September and on 23 October, including arson at an NHPC office in Pasighat.

## Way forward
- Complete the Social and Environmental Impact Assessments transparently and share findings in local languages.
- Seek genuine consent; consider smaller or alternative designs.
- Press China, bilaterally, for hydrological data and consultation.
- Build basin-level cooperation with Bangladesh as a fellow downstream state.

A project meant to secure the Brahmaputra will succeed only if it first secures the trust of the people of the Siang valley.

## The basics

## Why this matters

The Brahmaputra is one of Asia's great rivers and India is downstream of China on it. When China began building a giant dam in Tibet in July 2025, Arunachal Pradesh revived a plan for a giant dam of its own on the Siang. That plan has met fierce resistance from the Adi people whose land it would flood. The story joins geography, India-China relations, environment and tribal rights.

## One river, three names

The Brahmaputra river system begins in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo, enters Arunachal as the Siang, and becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam.

## Two dams, very different scales

The Medog hydropower project is planned as the world's largest hydropower facility. India's concern is less about electricity than about control: who decides how much water flows, and when.

## Where the Indian project stands

SUMP was declared one of the National Projects (water resources) in 2008, but it has not yet cleared even its first study. Before any construction it would need a Social Impact Assessment and an Environmental Impact Assessment, explained in Impact assessment and consent for big dams, and a Detailed Project Report.

## The two arguments

The State's argument is strategic: a big Indian reservoir could absorb sudden surges and keep water flowing in dry months. The protesters' argument is about rights and risk: submergence of ancestral villages, loss of land, forest and identity, and a large dam in an earthquake-prone zone. The CM's letter tries to bridge the two by separating study from decision.

## Sources

- https://theprint.in/india/arunachal-cm-reaches-out-to-locals-protesting-against-siang-project-open-letter-says-all-concerns-will-be-addressed/3088660/
- https://www.outlookindia.com/national/siang-dam-project-arunachal-cm-pema-khandu-denies-forced-displacement-says-no-decision-without-public-consultation
- https://english.punjabkesari.com/india/arunachal-cm-khandu-assures-dialogue-public-consent-on-11200-mw-proposed-siang-multipurpose-project
- https://www.downtoearth.org.in/dams/why-arunachal-pradesh-is-protesting-a-proposed-11200-mw-dam-on-the-siang-river
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medog_Hydropower_Station