SUMP proposed to regulate Siang waters, mitigate floods: Arunachal Deputy CM Mein

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Monday said the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) was primarily aimed at storing, regulating and managing water in the Siang basin, rather than power generation alone.

Mein, who also holds the power and hydropower portfolios, said the project's proposed 9.2 billion cubic metres of live storage could help regulate downstream discharge during sudden releases or extreme flows upstream and reduce flood risks in the Siang basin and downstream areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

He said comparisons between SUMP and China's reported 60,000-MW Medog project should not be based solely on their power-generation capacities. "MW measures power, not water," Mein said in a social media post.

According to Mein, the proposed SUMP dam would be around 280-300 metres high, while the project's power-generation component would be secondary to its storage and water-regulation functions. He said the project was intended to protect the Siang river basin and communities living along its tributaries.

Mein stressed that no final decision had been taken on the construction of the project. He said the Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) was only an initial assessment of its technical feasibility and safety. He added that further studies, consultations and statutory clearances would have to be completed before any final decision was taken, with the views and consensus of local people forming an essential part of the process.

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