MT Desk: In India, a group of 544 scientists, researchers, conservation practitioners, activists and concerned citizens has issued a statement expressing solidarity with people protesting the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh.
In a statement issued on Monday citing concerns over its ecological and cultural impact on the Siang Valley and the rights of indigenous Adi communities, they said the project must not be allowed to continue.
The statement comes amid protests, arrests and detentions of anti-dam activists, who recently rejected the state government’s call for talks. The local residents demand the release of detainees, the withdrawal of FIRs against those raising their democratic rights and the removal of security forces. The mega dam has been a longstanding source of disagreement between the people of Arunachal Pradesh, who resist the project, and the state and Union governments pushing for it.
We, a group of scientists, researchers, conservation practitioners and concerned citizens, many of whom have worked in Arunachal Pradesh and in the Eastern Himalaya, stand in unequivocal solidarity with the people of the Siang Valley in their opposition to the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
The Siang Valley is not merely a site for a proposed mega-infrastructure project. The Siang River, its forests and the surrounding mountains sustain extraordinary biodiversity, livelihoods, traditional knowledge systems and the cultural identity of indigenous Adi communities.
A statement issued by a collective of 114 scientists on 9th of June 2025, noted that the Siang is a rich living landscape of immense ecological, cultural and biological significance. In the past 15 years alone, there have been 48 new species described, as well as 140 new distribution records from the valley.
As scientists, researchers and citizens working in the fields of nature, wildlife, society and the environment, we recognise that the Siang Valley is an ecologically irreplaceable landscape, and much of its biodiversity and ecological complexity remains poorly understood.
The irreversible consequences of largescale interventions in such a fragile, extremely seismically active and biodiverse river system demand the utmost caution.
The people of the Siang valley have nurtured and protected these landscapes and species for generations. Their knowledge, lived experiences and concerns must be central to any decisions about their future.
We are deeply concerned by the Arunachal Pradesh government’s continued push to undertake the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) for SUMP despite sustained opposition from affected communities. We are particularly saddened and alarmed by the deployment of large numbers of armed security personnel, restrictions on people’s movement, the arrest and detention of community members, and the use of tear gas and force against citizens.
The growing militarisation of this otherwise peaceful region is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. In a democratic country, communities have every right to question, oppose and refuse projects that they believe threaten their lands, cultures, livelihoods and futures. In keeping with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the project must not proceed without the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of the affected indigenous communities, whose lands, livelihoods, cultural heritage and relationship with the Siang are at stake.
We also strongly condemn the harassment and intimidation of those supporting and documenting the events and the movement, including lawyers and journalists. Article 19 of the Constitution of India guarantees six fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of speech, expression and to assemble peacefully; the restrictions imposed by the state cannot be deemed as reasonable.
Beyond ecological arguments, our work has taught us that protecting nature cannot be separated from respecting the people who have lived with, cared for and sustained these landscapes over generations.