Concerns surrounding the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh have reached the highest constitutional office. Senior Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia has submitted a detailed six-page representation to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking presidential intervention to safeguard downstream communities, environmental stability, and public safety across Assam before any construction moves forward.
Ecological Fragility and Downstream Stakes in the Eastern Himalayas
In his communication sent on Wednesday, Debabrata Saikia underscored that the Siang River traverses Arunachal Pradesh before entering Assam, where it forms an integral artery of the wider Brahmaputra river system. Given this downstream geography, Saikia argued that regulating or storing such an immense volume of water in the ecologically fragile Eastern Himalayas cannot be treated as a localized venture confined within Arunachal Pradesh's boundaries. Any substantial hydraulic intervention, he stressed, directly influences the life, livelihoods, and ecological security of millions living downstream in Assam.
Storage Capacity and Crucial Impact Assessments
Referencing government records, Saikia pointed out that the initiative, also known as the Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project, was previously recorded as being at the pre-feasibility stage. The proposed design features a live storage capacity of approximately 9.2 billion cubic metres, with flood moderation listed as one of its primary objectives. Saikia asserted that engineering assumptions must be subjected to an independent, Assam-specific downstream assessment examining alterations to flood peaks, sediment deposition patterns, riverbank erosion, river morphology, wetlands, fisheries, agricultural output, and navigational safety.
Disaster Modelling and Dam-Safety Protocols
Highlighting the severe seismic vulnerability of the region, the Congress leader urged authorities to conduct comprehensive dam-break inundation modelling. He stated that disaster projections must rigorously evaluate worst-case scenarios, such as torrential cloudbursts, intense landslides, high-magnitude earthquakes, cascading structural failures, and uncontrolled emergency discharges from the massive reservoir. According to Saikia, the discourse should transcend a basic debate over hydropower adoption; the core issue remains whether a megaproject of this scale can proceed without transparent scientific assessment, downstream consultation, and verified safeguards for Assam.
Calls for Transparency and Multidisciplinary Oversight
The representation urged President Murmu to examine whether the Assam state government has formally provided any concurrence, consent, no-objection certificate, or related correspondence regarding the Siang dam. Saikia called for the public disclosure of all documentation alongside a cumulative assessment of every major river project planned across the Siang-Brahmaputra basin. To protect downstream settlements, he recommended real-time transmission of rainfall, reservoir, inflow, and outflow figures to Assam, backed by automated early warning infrastructure. Furthermore, he sought the immediate creation of an independent multidisciplinary safety panel comprising hydrologists, geologists, seismologists, dam engineers, and ecologists to scrutinize the project's long-term implications.
