Surrounded by mist-covered mountains, a football field became the stage for passionate speeches as tribesmen protested against a proposed mega-dam—India’s strategic response to China’s control over Himalayan water resources.
India argues that the new dam could counter China’s upstream construction in Tibet by storing water and preventing sudden flood releases.
However, locals near the potential site of what could be India’s largest dam see it as a threat to their existence.
“We will fight for eternity,” declared Tapir Jamoh, a resident of Riew, as he held a bow with a poison-tipped arrow, symbolizing his defiance. “We will not allow the dam to be built.”
Jamoh’s homeland, belonging to the Adi people, is in India’s remote northeast, bordered by Tibet and Myanmar’s towering peaks.
India’s plans outline the construction of a massive reservoir in Arunachal Pradesh, capable of holding water equivalent to four million Olympic pools, behind a 280-meter-high dam.
This initiative coincides with China’s $167 billion Yaxia project upstream on the Siang River, known in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo.
China’s plan includes five hydropower stations, potentially generating triple the power of the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest, though specifics remain vague.
Beijing, which claims Arunachal Pradesh, a claim India strongly rejects, assures no “negative impact” downstream.
“China has never, and will never, use cross-border hydropower projects to harm or pressure downstream countries,” China’s foreign ministry informed AFP.
Chinese media suggest the project could be more intricate than a single large dam, potentially involving water diversion through tunnels.
The area around Riew is among the shortlisted sites for India’s mega-dam, seen by locals like Jamoh as an immediate threat.
“If the river is dammed, we cease to exist,” said the 69-year-old, explaining the arrow’s poisonous tip was made from mountain herbs.
“Our identity and culture stem from the Siang,” he added.
– ‘Water bomb’ –
Despite easing tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, both populous nations guard disputed borders with thousands of troops, and India’s concerns are clear.
The river feeds into the Brahmaputra, and Indian officials worry China could use its dam to control water flow, causing droughts or releasing a destructive “water bomb.”
China dismisses this, labeling concerns about the Yaxia Hydropower Project as “groundless and malicious.”
Arunachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Pema Khandu calls defensive action against China’s dam a “national security necessity,” viewing India’s dam as a measure to manage water flow.
“China’s aggressive water resource policy leaves little choice for downstream countries,” said Maharaj K. Pandit, a Himalayan ecology expert at the National University of Singapore.
India’s dam could generate 11,200-11,600 megawatts of hydropower, making it the most powerful in the country and aiding in reducing coal dependence.
However, power generation is not the main objective, admitted a senior NHPC engineer, the federal body tasked with the dam’s development.
“It’s for water security and flood control—if China weaponizes their dam,” the engineer said anonymously, not authorized to speak to the press.
“The reservoir will be filled during lean seasons to compensate for upstream water diversion,” he explained. “That’s the plan.”
During rains, the water will only fill two-thirds of the dam, allowing space to absorb sudden releases from China.
India’s former ambassador to Beijing, Ashok K. Kantha, deemed China’s dam “reckless” and described India’s dam as a “defensive measure” against potential water flow manipulation.
– ‘Identity and culture’ –
India’s dam would create a vast 9.2 billion cubic meter reservoir, with the flooded area depending on the dam’s final location.
The Adi people, like Jamoh, hold the river sacred, relying on its waters for their fertile lands rich with orange and jackfruit trees.
They fear the dam will submerge their world.
“We are Siang’s children,” said Jamoh, a former headman of Riew, ousted by authorities for opposing the dam.
In May, angry Adi villagers blocked NHPC from surveying the site.
Now, paramilitary forces guard the burned remains of drilling machines set ablaze by protesters, but demonstrations continue.
During AFP’s visit, thousands held a traditional Adi clan meeting condemning the dam.
“We demand a project plan to understand the dam’s scale,” said Bhanu Tatak of the Siang Indigenous Farmer’s Forum (SIFF), a local protest group.
“Instead, they treat us like extremists,” she noted.
Locals are convinced the dam would drown many villages.
“A large dam would erase the Adi community from the world map,” said Likeng Libang from Yingkiong, a town officials predict will be completely submerged.
“The Adi will be totally displaced,” he added. “We will be nowhere.”
NHPC did not respond to AFP’s request for comments.
– ‘Dam-for-dam’ –
India’s “dam-for-dam” strategy could backfire, warned Anamika Barua, a transborder water governance expert at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.
“Diplomatic engagement, transparent water-sharing agreements, and cooperative river basin management offer more lasting solutions than reactive infrastructure,” she advised.
Building mega-dams in earthquake-prone Arunachal Pradesh is risky, Barua noted.
Yet, India’s commitment to large-scale dam construction indicates it won’t retreat. Two other major dams overcame local opposition.
“If the dam is built, I hope I die before it happens,” Jamoh, with his bow and arrow, lamented.
