Siang Valley Speaks: Villagers Demand Consent Before SUMP Moves Forward

Recently, the peaceful Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh has become the center of a growing movement, for civil rights. People from all over the valley have spoken out against the Siang Upper Basin Hydroelectric Project, or SUMP. Their main demand is simple but strong: no project should go forward without the free, prior, and informed consent of the people, who live in the area. With the #ProtestAgainstSUMP hashtag going viral online, this grassroots movement is quickly getting the attention of people across the country.

The people of Siang Valley have lived in harmony with their rivers, forests and farmland for many years. They depend on the ecosystem not only for their way of life, but also for their cultural and spiritual identity. The SUMP, which is meant to make hydroelectric power, could make this way of life very different. A bunch of dams and waterways would be built, across the upper parts of the Siang River as part of the proposed project. This could flood large areas of land and force thousands of people to move. This possible effect is what has made the villagers rise up in opposition.

Concerns Over Displacement and Environmental Impact

For residents, being forced to move is the biggest fear. People are right to be worried about losing their homes, and heritage because ancestral lands, farms and holy sites may be in the project zone. People in the village say, they haven't been properly consulted or told about the project's scope and effects. A lot of people are angry that environmental assessments and plans have moved forward without having real conversations with the people who will be most affected.

Environmental activists say that the SUMP could have a lot of negative effects on the environment, in addition to forcing people to move. Not just any river, the Siang River is one of the most important rivers in Arunachal Pradesh. It flows into the Brahmaputra and protects the area's wildlife. If you stop its natural flow, it could cause more erosion, flooding further downstream, and damage to aquatic ecosystems that can't be fixed. These worries are shared by both scientists and environmentalists in the area, who say that the project may cost more than it gains.

Consent Is a Right, Not a Courtesy

A very important issue, consent, lies at the heart of the protest. Local communities have the right to be consulted, before any big projects are done on their land. This is protected by Indian law and international agreements like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The villagers of Siang Valley, on the other hand, say that they have been left out of the decision-making process.

Community leaders make it clear that they are not against development in general. What they don't want is development that comes from above and doesn't follow their rights or respect their land. "Our identity should not be lost for the sake of progress", a village elder said at a public rally. People want villagers to be involved in planning, so that they are seen as stakeholders and not as problems.

A Call for Democratic and Sustainable Planning

The protest against SUMP isn't just a local issue; it brings up bigger issues like democratic government, indigenous rights, and sustainable development. Should big infrastructure projects go ahead even if the people who will be most affected don't want them to? Should not only ecological data be taken into account in environmental reviews, but also cultural and human costs?

Activists say there are better options, like smaller, decentralized energy projects that can provide power without the negative effects on people and the environment that come with mega-dams. They want more attention to be paid to models of sustainable development that value traditional knowledge, protect ecosystems, and include people in all stages of planning and carrying out projects.

The Way Forward

As the protests in Siang Valley get louder, it's clear that the community's voices can't be ignored any longer. The government and project leaders need to take a step back, and look at the SUMP again, making sure that all stakeholders are fully consulted, especially the indigenous communities. Not force, but talk must lead the way forward.

It's clear what the valley wants: "No building without permission." People in Siang are not against progress; what they are against is progress that doesn't care about their rights, identity, or prospects. The protest will go on until they are respected and heard, with or without hashtags.