544 scientists, researchers back Siang anti-dam protest, seek halt to PFR

A group of 544 scientists, researchers, conservation practitioners, activists and other citizens has come out in support of the people of the Siang Valley who are opposing the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, and has asked both the state and the Centre to stop work on the project.

The statement, dated Monday, November 9, was published in full by The Wire. Many of the signatories say they have worked in Arunachal Pradesh and the wider Eastern Himalaya.

What the signatories want

The group has put four demands to the Arunachal Pradesh and Union governments:

• halt all activities linked to the project's Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR);
• withdraw the additional armed forces deployed in the Siang Valley;
• release people detained for taking part in the movement;
• hold an open and transparent dialogue with affected communities that respects their rights and decisions.

It also says the project should not go ahead without the free, prior and informed consent of the affected indigenous communities, citing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Concern over security deployment

The statement says the signatories are "saddened and alarmed" by the presence of large numbers of armed personnel, restrictions on movement, arrests and detentions, and the use of tear gas and force against residents. It calls the growing militarisation of the valley "deeply disturbing and unacceptable", and condemns what it describes as harassment of lawyers and journalists who have supported or documented the protests, invoking the freedoms guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution.

The ecological case

The group describes the Siang as a fragile, highly seismic and biodiverse river system whose ecology is still poorly understood, and says large interventions there demand the greatest caution. It recalls an earlier statement by 114 scientists in June 2025, which noted that 48 new species and 140 new distribution records had been reported from the valley in the previous 15 years.

The signatories say the knowledge and concerns of the Adi communities, who have protected these forests and rivers for generations, must be at the centre of any decision on the valley's future.

Background

The statement comes as protests, detentions and police action continue in the Siang belt over the state government's push to carry out pre-feasibility surveys for the project. Protesters have rejected the government's offer of talks and are demanding the release of detainees, withdrawal of FIRs against those who spoke out, and removal of security forces. The Centre and the state government have described SUMP as a strategic and water-security project, partly as a counter to China's planned dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo upstream; downstream Assam has also raised questions about its impact.

There was no immediate response from the Arunachal Pradesh government to the statement.