| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Nov 9: Protest against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh's Siang region is receiving support from environmental groups and activists beyond the state, with the Nagaland Community Conserved Areas' Forum (NCCAF) and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk voicing concern over the rights of indigenous communities and protection of the Himalayan ecosystem.
In an open letter addressed to the people of Siang Valley, NCCAF chairman Heirang Lungalang and secretary Seve R Vadeo urged the Arunachal Pradesh government to respect decisions taken by local communities through their traditional village institutions.
The Nagaland-based forum said it had been closely following developments in the region and expressed concern over the difficulties reportedly faced by villagers, particularly farmers during the ongoing harvesting season, detention of youths and the situation surrounding the protests.
Drawing parallels with communities in Nagaland, the forum said it understood the concerns of people facing restrictions in accessing their agricultural fields and apprehensions over decisions concerning rivers and ancestral lands being taken without the consent of indigenous communities.
It maintained that communities which have protected and depended on their ancestral lands for generations should have the right to decide their future.
The forum also highlighted conservation initiatives undertaken by Adi communities, including restrictions imposed by traditional kebangs on hunting and fishing through explosives, poison and electric current. It cited the example of Gobuk village's efforts to move towards conservation.
Referring to traditional decision-making mechanisms, the letter cited the August 2025 resolution of the General Bogum Bokang Kebang at Geku, which declared the Siang as 'Aane Siang', a goddess river, and resolved against the proposed dam and its pre-feasibility survey.
It also referred to a March 2026 resolution of the Ramku village kebang, which stated that no individual acting without the authority of the village council could speak on behalf of the village.
The NCCAF asserted that collective decisions taken by the Adi community through its traditional institutions should be respected, adding that individual signatures or endorsements obtained from a few residents could not replace the collective mandate of village councils.
Rejecting the notion that opposition to the mega dam amounted to resistance against development, the forum pointed out that the same kebang opposing the project had expressed willingness to welcome smaller dams on tributaries of the Siang.
Urging the authorities to engage with the people through their traditional institutions, the forum said a collective rejection of a project through a village council should not be treated as an obstacle to be circumvented.
Separately, climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk has also called for protecting the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and respecting the rights of indigenous communities amid the continuing opposition to SUMP.
In a letter seeking presidential intervention over the situation in the Siang Valley, Wangchuk described the Himalayas as both India's water towers and the shield of its borders, arguing that protecting their ecology and the interests of communities living in the region was essential to national development and security.
"The Himalayas are both the water towers of India and the shield of our borders. Protecting their ecology and respecting the communities who have lived here for generations is not against national development or national security. It is essential to both," he stated.
He further said border communities should be treated as trusted partners in nation-building rather than viewed with suspicion for raising concerns over projects affecting their land and natural resources.
"Our border communities deserve to be treated as trusted partners in nation-building, not as suspects for raising their voices," Wangchuk said.