Siang Dam Protest: Anti-Dam Leader Rejects Arunachal Government's Offer of Talks
Katon Moyong, a well-known activist opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, rejected the State government's offer of talks on 5 November 2026. He said the time for negotiations was over. He had recently been detained in Delhi while protesting against the project.
SUMP is a planned 11,000 to 11,200 MW storage dam on the Siang river (the Indian name of the Brahmaputra where it enters from Tibet). It is to be built by NHPC, the Central government's hydropower company.
The Adi community of the Siang valley opposes it because of fears of displacement, the drowning of ancestral land and forests, and harm to their culture and ecology.
The State government says the dam is mainly meant to store and manage water, especially because China is building a giant dam upstream on the same river. It also says the project will create jobs and strengthen water and energy security. The activist called this national security argument an attempt to overcome public resistance.
Protesters want the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) surveys stopped at once and the security forces deployed in likely affected areas withdrawn. Activists say a dam on the Siang was first proposed in 1979 for Brahmaputra flood control and was rejected by the Adi then.
Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP): India's Storage Dam on the Siang
SUMP is a very large dam proposed on the Siang river in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Siang is the Brahmaputra's name when it first enters India from Tibet, where it is called the Yarlung Tsangpo. The project plans about 11,000 to 11,200 MW of power and a reservoir of about 9 billion cubic metres. It is called "multipurpose" because it is meant to produce electricity, control floods and act as a strategic water store against sudden releases or holding back of water by China upstream.
The rejection of talks shows that the project is stuck at its very first stage, the pre-feasibility survey. The State presents SUMP as a national security need because of China's dam, while the local community sees it as a threat to its land and identity.
Adi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh
The Adi are one of the largest tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh. They live mainly in the Siang valley and nearby areas, in districts such as East Siang, Upper Siang, Siang, West Siang and Lower Dibang Valley. They run their villages through a traditional, democratic village council called the Kebang. For the Adi, the river, forests and clan land are part of their identity, faith and festivals, which is why a big dam touches them so deeply.
The protest leader is an Adi, and he says the community's position against the dam has not changed. He has also urged the different tribes of Arunachal Pradesh to stay united on the issue.
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013
The LARR Act, 2013 is the main central law that tells the government how it can take private land for public projects such as dams, roads, factories and railways. It also says how much money the landowners must get, and how families who lose their homes or livelihoods must be helped to start a new life. In simple words, it is the rulebook for three things: taking land fairly, paying for it fairly, and resettling people properly. Its short name is often written as LARR Act or RFCTLARR Act.
If SUMP moves past the survey stage, the families of the Siang valley would be compensated and resettled under this law, which requires an SIA and a full R&R package. Because Arunachal Pradesh is not a Fifth Schedule area and much of the land is held by clans under customary law, the Section 41 consent rule does not apply directly. This is one reason why consent, valuation and fair resettlement sit at the centre of the protest.
- Siang Upper Multipurpose Project: about 11,000 to 11,200 MW; storage of about 9 billion cubic metres; developer NHPC
- Location: Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh; villages in Siang and East Siang districts also likely affected
- Current stage: Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) surveys; protesters demand they be halted
- First proposal for a dam on the Siang: 1979, for Brahmaputra flood control (according to activists)
- Main affected community: the Adi tribe; traditional village council called the Kebang
- China's Medog (Yarlung Tsangpo lower reaches) project: about 60,000 MW; construction began 19 July 2025
- LARR Act, 2013: in force since 1 January 2014; SIA mandatory; 80% / 70% consent for private / PPP projects