Cascading Effect, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• India is planning the 11.2-GW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh as a strategic response to China's 60-GW mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet.
• China's mega-dam, located in Medog County, Tibet, is projected to be the world's largest hydropower installation, raising Indian concerns about potential water weaponization.
• Local communities, including the Adi community, are protesting SUMP due to fears of land acquisition and the state's use of the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA) against activists.
• Both the Chinese and Indian dam sites are in the seismically active Eastern Himalayas, posing significant environmental and geological risks.
• Despite India's concerns, China has declined to share crucial engineering details of its dam, limiting India's ability to plan for downstream impacts.

Detailed Insights:

• The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), planned by NHPC Limited, aims to generate hydroelectricity, regulate river flows, and manage potential downstream flooding from Chinese projects.
• China's 60-GW mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) is estimated to cost $168 billion and involves five cascading power stations.
• The Brahmaputra is a transboundary river vital to India and Bangladesh, but there is no formal water-sharing treaty between India and China, only MoUs for hydrological data.
• China has previously withheld hydrological data, notably during the Doklam standoff, highlighting the geopolitical sensitivities of transboundary water management.
• The Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA), enacted in 2014, has been criticized by civil society for its broad powers of detention and potential human rights violations.
• Large dams in the Himalayas, a seismically active zone, carry risks of dam failure, reservoir-triggered seismicity, and adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems and local livelihoods.
• SUMP planners have considered maintaining the reservoir at 70% capacity to accommodate unexpected water surges, but this is insufficient without advance warnings from China.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Transboundary Waters: Water resources shared by two or more countries, requiring international cooperation for sustainable management.
• Multipurpose Project: A large-scale infrastructure project designed to fulfill several objectives, such as power generation, flood control, and irrigation.
• Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA): A state law in Arunachal Pradesh aimed at preventing unlawful activities, often criticized for its potential misuse against dissent.