Guwahati: Former Assam leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia has urged President Droupadi Murmu to intervene over the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh, citing risks to Assam’s downstream interests, public safety and ecology.In a representation to the President on Wednesday, Saikia flagged the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (USMP), saying its scale and location in the Eastern Himalayas warranted scrutiny not only from Arunachal Pradesh’s perspective but also from that of downstream Assam.The Siang enters Assam and forms part of the Brahmaputra river system.Saikia wrote that govt records have earlier placed the project at the pre-feasibility stage, with proposed live storage of about 9.2 billion cubic metres (BCM) and flood moderation among its stated objectives.Saikia sought an independent, Assam-specific downstream impact assessment covering flood peaks, sediment movement, erosion, river morphology, wetlands, fisheries, agriculture, navigation and livelihoods. He also sought dam-break inundation modelling, including worst-case scenarios involving extreme rainfall, landslides, earthquakes, cascading infrastructure failures and emergency reservoir releases.In a six-page representation, Saikia urged the President to ascertain whether Assam has given any consent, concurrence, NOC or other communication on the project and sought disclosure of relevant records. He also called for cumulative assessment of major projects across the Siang-Brahmaputra basin.Calling for real-time sharing of rainfall, reservoir, inflow and outflow data with Assam, Saikia proposed automatic downstream warning systems and an independent multidisciplinary safety panel involving hydrologists, geologists, seismologists, dam-safety experts and ecologists.
