Editor,
The Dibang River originates in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh and flows throughout the valley. The major rivers are: Ahui, Emra, Mathun, Dri, Tangon, Ithun and Ange. The main population of the area is Idu Mishmi.
The area is rich in wildlife. Rare mammals such as the Mishmi takin, the red goral and the Gongshan muntjac occur, while among birds there is the rare Sclater’s monal.
Vis-à-vis the proposed Etalin hydropower project over two rivers – the Dri and the Tangon – situated inside the Dibang catchment zone, close to three lakh trees are expected to be felled to make way for the dam, exacerbating climate change as glaciers thinning upstream form glacial lakes might burst and release large amounts of water in glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). GLOF plus heavy rainfall can exacerbate erosion and lead to landslides.
Moreover, the Dibang valley is seismically active. According to incomplete statistics, the Dibang valley has experienced 35 earthquakes since 2021. Several studies have shown that large reservoirs develop reservoir-induced seismicity, increasing the frequency of earthquakes in areas that already experience high seismic activity. The damages caused by such a disaster would be immeasurable and the local people cannot bear the suffering.
In addition, the Dibang Multipurpose Dam (DMD) will divert 5,349 hectares of land, affecting 2,000 Idu Mishmi people. The Idu Mishmis have been living on these lands for centuries. For them, the land is their sole source of livelihood, so encroaching on their land will only force them to migrate and change the way they live.
According to official estimates, 3,800 and 5,800 workers will be hired for the Etalin and DMD projects, but the actual number is far more than these people. A large number of immigrants have poured in, and the construction of the dam has taken a long time. Intermarriage between outsiders and locals is also common, tribal blood is no longer pure, and traditional culture is threatened.
Lobsang Tenzin