PROTEST AGAINST UPPER SIANG HYDROPOWER PROJECT
Why in the news?
- Local communities are protesting the proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh due to environmental concerns.
- The Upper Siang project, planned by NHPC, includes a 300-meter high dam, the largest in the subcontinent, replacing earlier proposed projects of lower capacity.
Source: quora
About Siang/Tsangpo River
Origin and Initial Course
- Originates from Chema Yungdung Glacier, Tibet, at 5,150 meters.
- Known as Tsangpo in Tibet, flows west-east for 1,625 kilometers.
- Major Tibetan cities along Tsangpo: Lhasa, Shigatse.
Course in India
- Enters India at Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh near Tuting.
- Known as Siang River in India.
- Flows through East Siang district; major city: Pasighat.
- Travels nearly 52 kilometers in India before reaching Assam.
Confluence and Downstream
- Joins Lohit and Dibang rivers in Assam to form the Brahmaputra.
- Brahmaputra flows through Assam and Bangladesh, emptying into the Bay of Bengal.