Pasighat: Amid sustained protests in Arunachal Pradesh against the 11.2 GW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), another major hydropower project in the state has received an in-principle recommendation for forest clearance, with the proposed development requiring the diversion of around 470 hectares of ‘unclassed forest’ land and the felling of more than one lakh trees.

The 1,000-MW Naying hydroelectric project, to be developed by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO), is proposed on the Siyom river, a tributary of the Siang, across Arunachal Pradesh’s Shi Yomi and Siang districts.

According to the minutes of a meeting held on October 23, the Union Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) recommended the project for Stage-I (in-principle) approval for diversion of the forest land.

The proposed project area falls within a high conservation value (HCV) zone, with the forest land sought for diversion comprising very dense forest patches, the FAC minutes noted.

Stage-I approval is subject to conditions, including compensatory afforestation, which must be fulfilled before the project can receive Stage-II final forest diversion approval.

Unclassed forests are areas recorded as forests but not categorised as reserved or protected forests. Their ownership status varies across states.

The development comes as opposition pours in against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, with Indigenous communities in the region raising concerns over its potential impact on ancestral lands, river systems, livelihoods, cultural heritage and territorial rights.

Last week, Tagori Mize, spokesperson for the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF), which is at the forefront of protests against the SUMP, alleged that more than 3,000 paramilitary personnel had been deployed across the valley of Siang comprising of East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts.

Mize also claimed that communities and individual landowners had neither been informed nor consulted about the proposed dam project. He alleged that consent was being obtained through misleading means.

“Instead, unlawful means are being used to forge majority consent, and the signatures are being obtained by misleading people,” Mize said.

The proposed Naying project itself is expected to affect more than 400 families across 12 villages. It involves the construction of a 138-metre-high concrete gravity dam, measured from its deepest foundation level.

The forest area proposed for diversion is located 9.71 km from the Yorde-Rabe Supse Wildlife Sanctuary and 19.55 km from the Mouling National Park.

The project’s site inspection report has also flagged potential impacts on wildlife habitats and animal movement.

“Arunachal Pradesh is widely known for its Schedule I & II species that include many highly endangered and endemic species. And this hydropower project will undoubtedly affect the habitats of various wildlife. The increased width of the submerged area will adversely affect the migration of wild animals from one bank to the other,” the report read.

Edited by Jyotirmoy Saharia