Upper Siang Hydropower Project, Merits and Demerits

About Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP)

• It is a proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The project is being jointly constructed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).
• SUMP is positioned as a response to China’s 60,000-MW dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet’s Medog County.

Concerns Related to the Project

• The area which will get submerged due to construction of the reservoir is inhabited by the Adi Tribe. It is an indigenous community with a strong connection to the Siang River.
• Residents rely on pani kheti (settled agriculture along riverbanks) for sustenance, as the hilly terrain offers limited farming opportunities.

About Siang River

• Origin: Near Mount Kailash, Tibet. It is called the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.
• It flows over 1,000 km eastward before entering Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang, and eventually merges with the Brahmaputra in Assam.

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