Chief Minister Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh has instructed officials to actively engage indigenous people in the design and construction of the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), a huge hydropower project on the Siang River that would generate 11,000 megawatts. The need of considering local input at every stage of the project was highlighted by Khandu during a high-level review meeting in Itanagar. Chief secretary Manish Kumar Gupta, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein, and senior representatives from the department of hydro power development joined him. The command was issued at a time when the project was beginning to garner some grassroots support.
Memorandums of understanding supporting the pre-feasibility report (PFR) for SUMP have been signed by villagers in the impacted areas of Riga and Pangkang (Kumku). This development is positive for a collaborative approach to hydropower design, according to Khandu. With a storage capacity of around 9 billion cubic meters, the reservoir might rank among the biggest in India if it is constructed to its maximum capacity. As the project progresses, it is anticipated that government representatives will have additional community consultations with an emphasis on open communication and environmental protection.ronmental protection.
