ITANAGAR, 20 Mar: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein during his two-day visit to Siang and Upper Siang districts appealed to those who are against the construction of the proposed Upper Siang multipurpose project to rethink and come to the table for discussion and solution.
Mein was addressing public meetings at Adi-Pasi village during the inaugural programme of the Mirem Batum Lingkang War Memorial, and at Simong village in Upper Siang district during his visit.
Addressing the people on the importance of the multipurpose project, Mein called upon the elite and educated section of the society to create massive awareness among the villagers about the benefits and positive impact of the project.
He said that the government would not impose anything against the will and consent of the people. However, he gave assurance that the government would properly rehabilitate the displaced people, come up with model villages with all basic facilities, and construct double-lane roads on both sides of the Siang river, and that it is also ready to provide adequate compensation to those affected, besides establishing a hospital and educational institutions.
Mein informed that the government has already formed a dedicated committee to look into all queries. He said that discussions will continue to ensure that the people’s concerns are taken into consideration.
He called upon the people to focus on the long-term socioeconomic benefits that the dam will bring in the region and the state as a whole.
Mein highlighted the growing 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 the Siang river.
Sharing some observations made by experts and research scholars on the environmental impact in the region by such a massive hydropower project over the Tsangpo river, the DCM said that if China builds the massive dam over the Yarlung Tsangpo river and diverts its water, it will dry up the Siang river and its tributaries, affecting the aquatic life of the river and the large population in the plains of Assam and Bangladesh, which, he said, depend on the Brahmaputra river for the irrigation of their agricultural fields.
“On the other hand, in case any conflict arises between the two nations in the 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,” Mein said.
He said that the implications of such a massive project over the Tsangpo river by the Chinese government cannot be ignored. He informed that, considering all these factors, the central government proposed the Upper Siang multipurpose project, which has the potential to generate up to 11,000 MW of electricity.
The project is a crucial initiative aimed at mitigating the impacts of downstream flooding in Arunachal, Assam, and Bangladesh, and other environmental issues. “The main objective of the project is the safety and security of the downstream people, and to address other environmental issues,” he said.
He further said that the power generation is secondary and would be a byproduct of the project. Mein added that during the lean period, the project would act as a storage for rainwater that falls in the Indian territory, preventing the river water in the 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.” (DCM’s PR Cell)
