Guwahati: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed gratitude to the people of Riga village in Siang district for consenting to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), hydropower project with an estimated capacity of 11,000 MW.
Khandu stated in X, “Heartfelt thanks to the people of Riga for their consent and support in signing the MoU for the Pre-Feasibility Report of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), a step taken in the larger national interest. Your trust inspires us. We remain firmly committed to fulfilling all developmental aspirations of the community. As one of the largest Adi villages in the Siang belt, Riga holds a vital place in our collective journey toward progress and prosperity”.
Last month Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet took note of the concerns expressed by certain sections of people regarding preparation of the Pre-Feasibility Report of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), declared as ‘National Project’ by the Government of India in 2008.
The Cabinet also decided to request the Government of India to sanction a special development package for the Siang and Upper Siang Districts, including the beneficiary oriented social development for the twin districts.
Tsangpo River is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam and Jamuna in Bangladesh, and it flows through the neighbouring country (Bangladesh) before joining the Bay of Bengal.
Recently, the Arunachal Pradesh government expressed concern regarding China’s massive $137-billion hydroelectric dam project, which is set to produce 60,000 MW of electricity over the Yarlung Tsangpo River, in the upper reaches of Siang River in China.
Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein had said that the Government of India has proposed the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project, a dam on the Siang River, which has the potential to generate up to 11,000 MW of electricity.
While sharing some observations made by experts on the environmental impact in the region of such a massive hydropower project over Tsangpo river, the Deputy Chief Minister said that if the China builds the dam over Yarlung Tsangpo river and diverts its water, it will dry up the Siang river and its distributaries affecting the aquatic life of the river and the large population in the plains of Assam and Bangladesh which depends on Brahmaputra river for the irrigation of their agricultural fields.
On the other hand, if any conflict arises between the two nations in future, it may release a large volume of water from the dam, which would cause unpredicted flooding in the downstream areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam causing loss of lives and properties.
He said that the implications of such a massive project over the Tsangpo river by the Chinese government cannot be ignored and asserted that in both the cases, the downstream people will be affected adversely. Considering all these factors, the Government of India has proposed the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project, a dam on the Siang River. The project is a crucial initiative aimed at mitigating the impacts of downstream flooding in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh and other environmental issues. The objective of the project is safety and security of the downstream people and to address other environmental issues, he said.
He said that the power generation is secondary and would be a byproduct of the project. He added that during the lean period, the project will act as a storage for the rainwater that falls in the Indian territory preventing the river water in Siang from drying up and in case of the release of large volume of water by China, the dam in the Siang river will act as a deterrent and release the water in a controlled way thereby moderating flood in the downstream.
Khandu stated in X, “Heartfelt thanks to the people of Riga for their consent and support in signing the MoU for the Pre-Feasibility Report of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), a step taken in the larger national interest. Your trust inspires us. We remain firmly committed to fulfilling all developmental aspirations of the community. As one of the largest Adi villages in the Siang belt, Riga holds a vital place in our collective journey toward progress and prosperity”.
Last month Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet took note of the concerns expressed by certain sections of people regarding preparation of the Pre-Feasibility Report of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), declared as ‘National Project’ by the Government of India in 2008.
The Cabinet also decided to request the Government of India to sanction a special development package for the Siang and Upper Siang Districts, including the beneficiary oriented social development for the twin districts.
Tsangpo River is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam and Jamuna in Bangladesh, and it flows through the neighbouring country (Bangladesh) before joining the Bay of Bengal.
Recently, the Arunachal Pradesh government expressed concern regarding China’s massive $137-billion hydroelectric dam project, which is set to produce 60,000 MW of electricity over the Yarlung Tsangpo River, in the upper reaches of Siang River in China.
Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein had said that the Government of India has proposed the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project, a dam on the Siang River, which has the potential to generate up to 11,000 MW of electricity.
While sharing some observations made by experts on the environmental impact in the region of such a massive hydropower project over Tsangpo river, the Deputy Chief Minister said that if the China builds the dam over Yarlung Tsangpo river and diverts its water, it will dry up the Siang river and its distributaries affecting the aquatic life of the river and the large population in the plains of Assam and Bangladesh which depends on Brahmaputra river for the irrigation of their agricultural fields.
On the other hand, if any conflict arises between the two nations in future, it may release a large volume of water from the dam, which would cause unpredicted flooding in the downstream areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam causing loss of lives and properties.
He said that the implications of such a massive project over the Tsangpo river by the Chinese government cannot be ignored and asserted that in both the cases, the downstream people will be affected adversely. Considering all these factors, the Government of India has proposed the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project, a dam on the Siang River. The project is a crucial initiative aimed at mitigating the impacts of downstream flooding in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh and other environmental issues. The objective of the project is safety and security of the downstream people and to address other environmental issues, he said.
He said that the power generation is secondary and would be a byproduct of the project. He added that during the lean period, the project will act as a storage for the rainwater that falls in the Indian territory preventing the river water in Siang from drying up and in case of the release of large volume of water by China, the dam in the Siang river will act as a deterrent and release the water in a controlled way thereby moderating flood in the downstream.
