Monday Musing
[ M Doley ]
The chief minister’s office on Saturday said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Riga villagers and the state government to support the preparation of the pre-feasibility report for the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
Notably, the agreement has been made just ahead of the proposed high-level meeting convened by the PMO on 15 July to discuss the implementation of the project.
The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF), which is spearheading the movement against the proposed mega dam, pooh-poohed the agreement, terming it ‘meaningless’. It says that only a handful of people have signed the MoU without the knowledge of the project-affected families. The forum says that those people who have signed the MoU can’t represent the project-affected families.
The SIFF claims that the people of 27 affected villages are against the SUMP, and that only 25 percent of Riga is affected by it.
To protest the new development, the forum has decided to organize a rally in Geku on 14 July, followed by a mass gathering of the Adi community next month.
The Riga unit of the SIFF also stated that the villagers were unaware of the signing of the MoU until the news went viral on social media. The SIFF’s unit was scheduled to convene a meeting on the evening of 13 July to discuss the matter and clarify its stand.
The state government has time and again been asserting that no mega dams will be developed in the state without the people’s consent. However, the current development indicates the government’s intention to go ahead with the project despite stiff opposition from majority of the project affected families.
Arunachal Pradesh, particularly the Siang valley, is home to numerous plants, fish and various other animal species, most of which are endemic to the region. The recent discovery of more than 150 such species in the valley alone indicates the rich plants and animal biodiversity of the region. However, the proposed dam will threaten their existence.
The affected people fear that the dam, if constructed, will have irreversible impacts on the environment, turning their fertile lands into barren lands, and forcing them to migrate to other places for survival.
However, the Centre defends the project, stating that it is a project of national interest which aims at not only generating electricity but also containing flood risks from water released by China.
As the Siang river has been the lifeline for the people of the region since time immemorial, any obstruction in the natural flow of the river will undoubtedly have far-reaching impacts on socio-cultural and livelihood aspects of the local communities. The government should tread cautiously before making any decisions that may adversely affect the local communities.
