The Upper Siang Hydroelectric Project consists of the construction of several

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

dams in the Upper Siang district of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Construction work on the project was commenced by the

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation NHPC Limited (erstwhile National Hydroelectric Power Corporation ) is an Indian government hydropower board under the ownership of Ministry of Power, Government of India that was incorporated in the year 1975 with an authorised capital o ...

(NHPC) in April 2009 and various hydro dams will be constructed in phases over a span of 15–20 years. The main dam is being constructed across river Siang, a tributary of river

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...

and upon completion, the dam reservoir will hold 10 billion cubic meters of water. The hydro power project at Siang will alone generate between 10,000 and 12,000 MW, making it the largest hydroelectric dam in the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

Concerns

Concern on Upstream Flooding

In 2006, Indian media reported that the NHPC was planning to relocate and scale down the project due to concerns on flooding upstream by Chinese government. However, the Arunachal Pradesh government has awarded contracts and commenced work on the project as per initial plans. The state government of Arunachal Pradesh signed deals with various Indian power companies to develop hydro projects. A total of 42 schemes are planned to generate electricity in excess of 27,000 MW with the Upper Siang project being one of them.

Environmental impact

In 2010, a student body appealed to India's Environment Ministry to scrap various hydroelectric projects (including Siang project) in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh due to potential adverse environmental impact. However, the Ministry remarked that though the projects will not be cancelled, necessary precautions will be undertaken to ensure minimal environmental impact.Assam dam project may continue: Jairam Rames
/ref>

References

External links

{{coord missing, Arunachal Pradesh Hydroelectric power stations in Arunachal Pradesh Dams in Arunachal Pradesh Dams in the Brahmaputra River Basin Upper Siang district Proposed infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh