Editor,
As indigenous Adi people of Upper Siang district, we fiercely oppose the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). Our Siang river is our lifeline, sustaining wet rice cultivation and connecting us to our ancestors.
The proposed dam threatens to submerge 27 villages, displace thousands and erase our language, culture, and identity. Government officials, backed by private interests, have deployed security forces to silence us, ignoring our pleas for free, prior consent. The dam’s flooding and seismic risks endanger our sacred forests and biodiversity. We demand that the project be halted, our land rights restored, and dialogue conducted with true respect for our traditions. ‘No dam, no displacement’ is our cry – our survival depends on it.
The anti-SUMP movement in Upper Siang district highlights critical ecological and social concerns. The Siang basin, a biodiversity hotspot with 48 newly discovered species, faces irreversible damage from this 11,000 mw dam. Scholars have noted the project’s seismic vulnerability and potential to disrupt river ecosystems vital to endemic species like the golden mahseer. Displacement of 1.5 lakh Adi people, coupled with inadequate compensation for cultural losses, raises ethical questions. While framed as a strategic response to China’s upstream dams, the lack of participatory planning and transparency suggests profit-driven motives. We seek a reevaluation, prioritizing indigenous rights and sustainable alternatives.
As students, we stand with Upper Siang’s anti-SUMP movement, inspired by the Adi youths’ courage. The dam’s 9 billion cubic metre reservoir threatens to flood our homes, schools, and future livelihoods. We see government forces clashing with peaceful protestors – a stark reminder of unaccountable power. The project’s promise of development masks displacement and environmental ruin, while officials profit. We demand education on our rights, open forums with the government, and a halt to SUMP.
Our generation seeks a future where our culture and planet thrive, not drown.
Anonymous