Itanagar, March 21 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, on Thursday, highlighted the growing concern regarding China’s massive 137 billion dollar hydroelectric dam project, which is set to produce 60,000 MW of electricity over the Yarlung Tsangpo river, in the upper reaches of Siang river in the neighbouring country China.
During his two-day visit to Siang and Upper Siang district, the Deputy Chief Minister addressed the people about the importance of the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project (USMP), being constructed by India.
While sharing some observations made by experts and research scholars on the environmental impact in the region of such a massive hydropower project over Tsangpo river, Deputy CM Mein said that if the China build the massive dam over Yarlung Tsangpo river and divert its water, it would dry up the Siang river.
He also added that the distributaries of Siang river affects the aquatic life of the river and the large population in the plains of Assam and Bangladesh, which depends on Brahmaputra river for the irrigation of their agricultural fields.
On the other hand, in case, if any conflict arises between the two nations in future, it may release a large volume of water from the dam, which would cause unpredicted flooding in the downstream areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam causing loss of lives and properties, Mein added.
He said that the implications of such a massive project over the Tsangpo river by the Chinese government cannot be ignored and asserted that in both the cases, the downstream people would be affected adversely.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the Power and Non-Conventional Energy Resources Department portfolio, said that considering all these factors, the Union government has proposed the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project, a dam on the Siang river, which has the potential to generate up to 11,000 MW of electricity.
The project is a crucial initiative aimed at mitigating the impacts of downstream flooding in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh and other environmental issues.
The main objective of the project is for the safety and security of the downstream people and to address other environmental issues, he said.
Noting that the power generation is secondary and would be a byproduct of the project, he added that during the lean period, the project would act as a storage for the rainwater that falls in the Indian territory preventing the river water in Siang from drying up.
In case of the release of large volume of water by China, the dam in the Siang river would act as a deterrent and release the water in a controlled way, thereby moderating flood in the downstream.
The Deputy Chief Minister also called upon the elite and educated section of the society to create massive awareness among the villagers about the benefits and positive impact of the USMP.
He also appealed to those who are against the construction of USMP, to rethink and come to the table for discussion and solution.
He said that the state government will not impose anything against the will and consent of the people.
However, he assured that the state government will properly rehabilitate the displaced people, come up with model villages with all basic facilities and construct double land roads on both sides of the Siang river and is also ready to provide adequate compensation for those affected, besides establishing hospitals and educational institutions.
Deputy CM Mein also said that the state government has already formed a dedicated committee to look into all queries, and discussions will continue to ensure that the people’s concerns are taken into consideration.
He called upon the people to focus on the long-term socio-economic benefits that the dam will foster in the region and the state as a whole.
–IANS
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