May 23, 2025
International Rivers stands in solidarity with communities in Upper Siang District in India’s Arunachal Pradesh as they peacefully protest the deployment of armed personnel in their villages. Members from the Central Armed Police Forces have descended on the area to enforce the government’s activities to prepare for the 12,500 MW mega-dam proposed on the Upper Siang River.
The notice of intent to deploy armed forces was issued in December 2024, prompting peaceful protests from the communities. Five months later, the Central Armed Force Police have arrived without warning, sowing fear among the communities.
The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF), representing thousands of farmers and families who will be impacted by this project, have repeatedly rejected the project and have expressed their intention to oppose any preparation of the dam.
Videos circulating from the protest show women from Begging and other surrounding villages pleading and crying with the armed forces not to proceed with their plans. These ancestral lands are irreplaceable to the indigenous Adi Tribe.
The government’s plans to build the Upper Siang dam come on the heels of recent dam disasters in Sikkim on the Teesta River where a glacial lake outburst flood washed away the 1200MW Teesta III dam, causing severe localized impacts, damage to dams located downstream, and major impacts into Bangladesh.
Women from Beging village in Upper Siang district boldly show their opposition to the dam and the armed forces. Photo Credit: Marina Dai
Roads and rocks painted with a clear message “No Dam, No Survey” in Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo Credit: International Rivers.
Members of the Central Armed Police Force set up a blockade preventing the villagers from reaching the survey site. Photo Credit: Marina Dai