Arunachal's 1,000 MW Naying dam gets forest nod; over 1 lakh trees to go

A 1,000 MW hydropower project planned on the Siyom river in Arunachal Pradesh has cleared a key forest hurdle, even as protests continue in the state against the much bigger Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, PTI reported on Monday.

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Environment Ministry recommended Stage-I, or in-principle, approval for diverting forest land for the Naying Hydro Electric Project at its meeting on October 23, according to the minutes of that meeting.

About the project

• Developer: North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) will run the project.
• Location: Shi Yomi and Siang districts, on the Siyom, a tributary of the Siang.
• Forest land: about 470 hectares of "unclassed forest" (land recorded as forest but not listed as reserved or protected) will be diverted, and more than one lakh trees felled.
• Dam: a concrete gravity dam 138 metres high from its deepest foundation.
• People affected: more than 400 families in 12 villages.

Stage-I approval comes with conditions, including compensatory afforestation, which must be met before the final Stage-II diversion order can be issued.

Environmental concerns in the documents

According to the FAC minutes, the land falls in a high conservation value zone with patches of very dense forest. It lies about 9.71 km from the Yorde-Rabe Supse Wildlife Sanctuary and 19.55 km from the Mouling Wildlife Sanctuary.

The project's own environmental impact assessment notes that 20 fish species have been recorded in the river and its tributaries, and that the dam and reservoir will change their habitat and breeding cycles, an impact it says "cannot be mitigated completely". The site inspection report also warns that the wider submerged area will hamper wild animals crossing from one bank to the other.

The FAC, for its part, noted that the project would help meet the North East's power needs, with surplus electricity available for other states.

Why it matters now

The clearance comes at a tense time in the Siang belt. Last week, Tagori Mize, spokesperson of the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum, which is leading protests against the 11,200 MW Siang project, said more than 3,000 paramilitary personnel had been deployed across East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts, and alleged that communities were never properly consulted.

Neither NEEPCO nor the Arunachal Pradesh government had commented on the Naying recommendation at the time of writing.