'What if China suddenly releases water?': Arunachal Pradesh CM asks protesters to clear 'misinformation' about Siang power project

Guwahati: Seeking to pacify protests against the proposed power project on the Siang river, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday stated that the aim of the project is to counter the possible threats posed by the 60,000 MW hydropower project being taken up by neighbouring China in the Yarlung Tsangpo river in the Tibet region just before entering Tuting in Upper Siang.

"In case, China releases water from their dams all of a sudden, a trail of unimaginable destruction will sweep through the Siang belt, Assam and Bangladesh. It is also inevitable that the volume of water in the Siang river will drastically get reduced during the winters so much that you will be able to cross the mighty Siang on foot. Would you like such a situation? I certainly won’t,” Khandu said, while addressing a function at Boleng in Siang district.

"We are optimistic that with the progress being made through bilateral talks with China, relations will improve but we cannot remain complacent and be prepared for the unseen,” he added.

Khandu said the Chinese government, which is not a signatory to the International Water Conventions, intends to divert the water from the multiple water reservoirs to be created under the project to dry regions of Tibet and elsewhere in the country.

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, Khandu said, has been proposed by the Centre to maintain natural flow of water in the Siang river throughout the year and flood modulation in case of water release by China.

The Yarlung Tsangpo is called the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam.

Khandu's comments came amid strong protests led by several civil society organisations against possible adverse impact of the proposed hydro power project on the Siang river. The protesters refused to allow the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC), a central PSU, to carry out a pre-feasibility study for the multi-crore project.

Clear doubts:

Stating that misinformation is being spread over the Siang project to instigate protesters, Khandu said people who are instigating the protests are themselves confused whether the said project is of 12,500 MW, 11,000 MW or 10,000 MW.

“Being the Chief Minister I am not aware, not even NHPC is aware of the exact volume of power the project it will generate. How do you know the capacity of the project when the survey and investigation process has not even begun?” "It is going to be a multi-purpose power project, not just a hydro power project as is being claimed. Hydropower generation is a by-product of the multipurpose project by default. The real objective of the project is to save the Siang and the Adi society connected with the river since time immemorial,” he said.

Power potential:

Stating that Arunachal Pradesh has about 50% of the country’s hydropower potential, Khandu informed that the 12,500 MW that would be generated from the projects for which MoUs have already been signed with PSUs, will generate about Rs 10,000 crores annually for the state exchequer.

“Please be informed that the 12,500MW I am mentioning does not include the Siang project," he added. Khandu also rejected the reports about use of central forces by the government to forcibly execute the project. “We are a democratic country. We do not believe in forcing projects on our own people. We believe in taking into confidence the last man in the queue.”