Defending the Siang: Indigenous Resistance to the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project #ProtestAgainstSUMP

People who live along the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh have lived in harmony, with nature for many generations. They get their food, identity, and culture from the land and water around them. The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) is a huge hydropower project that promises development but will cause people to move, damage the environment, and lose their culture in a way that can't be fixed. This peaceful relationship is now in danger of ending.

 The Disputed Promise of SUMP

 One of the biggest hydropower plans in India is SUMP. It is part of a bigger plan to use the rivers in the Eastern Himalayas for power. A huge dam would be built across the Siang River as part of the project. It is expected to have a capacity of over 9,000 MW and would flood dozens of villages, farmlands, forests, and sacred indigenous sites.

The project's backers and the government see it as a way to meet India's growing energy needs. That being said, for the Adi and other native groups that live in this area, it is an attack on their traditional lands and way of life. When you flood the land, you erase not only homes and farms, but also hundreds of years of oral history, cultural heritage, and ecological knowledge.

Decades of Resistance

 In Siang, the people are not just victims. They have been organizing long-term resistance against big infrastructure projects, that don't listen to locals and put fragile ecosystems at risk for more than 20 years. Village elders, youth, women, and village councils have always worked together to protect their land and stand up for their right to self-determination.

The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF) is at the front of this movement. It is a grassroots group, that has worked hard to bring attention to the issue, file legal challenges, and plan peaceful protests. SIFF keeps calling for openness, consent after being fully informed, and adherence to the protections in the Constitution's Fifth and Sixth Schedules, which protect the rights of tribal people to their land.

 It's clear what they believe: they're not against progress, but any kind of growth must be fair, include everyone, and protect the environment.

Environmental and Cultural Stakes

 The Siang River is more than just a body of water; it is a living ecosystem. It supports fishing, farming, and traditional ways of making a living. It is home to many kinds of plants and animals. Experts say that building a dam on this river could cause a big problem in the ecosystem. The flow of the river could change, species would go extinct, and the Himalayan region would become even more vulnerable to earthquakes.

The loss of culture that comes with big dams is also a worry. People who live in Arunachal Pradesh have deep spiritual ties to the land and rivers. Sacred groves, burial grounds, and traditional ways of farming could be destroyed if they are not properly documented or understood.

 A Call for Solidarity

 Indigenous communities all over the Global South are fighting a similar battle to SIFF's. This is because "development" often puts money before people. Their fight isn't just about staying alive, it's also about wanting a different future, where progress doesn't mean moving people and destroying things.

They need help from all over the world and the country now more than ever.

To show your support, use the hashtags #StandWithSIFF and #ProtestAgainstSUMP on social media to make their voices heard.

Asking policymakers to look over the social and environmental impact assessments again

Giving money to legal and advocacy groups that help grassroots movements

Sharing stories of indigenous people's strength to fight the main story of development

 Conclusion

 People who don't live near the Siang River or its people shouldn't be able to decide what will happen to them in closed boardrooms. To make real progress, we need to listen to the voices of indigenous people, protect the environment and do what is right.

The brave stand of SIFF, and the people of Arunachal Pradesh is still going on. The question is whether the rest of us will listen before it's too late.

#ProtestAgainstSUMP #SaveOurPlanet #SiangRiverMatters