"Arunachal Protests Grow Over Siang Hydel Project Amid China Factor"
Lower riparian state
a country located downstream on a river shared with another country
Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)
indigenous communities' right to consent before a project affecting their land proceeds
The India-China boundary dispute in the Eastern sector covers Arunachal Pradesh. This dispute is closely linked to river politics in the Brahmaputra basin. The Siang river becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam. It starts as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet. This makes India the lower riparian state on this shared river (meaning: a country located downstream on a shared river). The Lohit and Subansiri are major tributaries. They join the Brahmaputra system and flow through Arunachal Pradesh. The Barak river flows through a different part of the Northeast. It does not flow through Arunachal Pradesh. India's claim over Arunachal Pradesh rests on the McMahon Line. This line was drawn at the 1914 Simla Convention. China does not recognise this line. Instead, China calls the state 'South Tibet'.
Since 2002, India and China have had a mechanism for China to share flood-season hydrological data on rivers flowing into India from Tibet. This is a rare cooperative arrangement. It has survived despite wider tension. In 2003, India launched a nationwide plan to develop 50,000 MW of hydropower. About 27,000 MW was planned from Arunachal Pradesh alone. This combined energy goals with strategic ones. China approved a 60,000-MW hydropower project on the lower Yarlung Tsangpo in December 2024. This project is made up of five cascade stations. This approval sharpened India's urgency to build its own downstream capacity. India wants to build projects like the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
Itanagar is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. It is named after a fort of the same name. Nagaland was created through a Constitutional Amendment Act. Tripura transitioned from a Part 'C' State to a centrally administered territory in 1956. It then became a full State.
The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (11,200 MW) is planned as a large storage dam. It replaces two smaller earlier-stage projects. This followed a 2017 NITI Aayog proposal to combine them. A storage dam stores water and can regulate the flow released downstream. Supporters argue this would let India respond if an upstream Chinese dam released a sudden surge of water. This is sometimes described as a 'water bomb' scenario. Large storage projects need long pre-feasibility surveys. This is why security personnel were sent into the Siang valley. They allowed drilling and data collection to proceed.
Local opposition is linked to how India extends infrastructure to its borders. This includes schemes like the Border Area Development Programme (BADP). …
Consider the following rivers:
1.Barak
2.Lohit
3.Subansiri
Which of the above flows/flow through Arunachal Pradesh?
'China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia.' In light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbour.
India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also discuss the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management Scheme.
With reference to rivers of the Northeast, consider the following pairs:
River : Flows through Arunachal Pradesh?
1.Lohit : Yes
2.Subansiri : Yes
3.Barak : Yes
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements:
1.India and China have an operational mechanism for sharing flood-season hydrological data on rivers flowing from Tibet into India.
2.China approved a hydropower project of about 60,000 MW on the lower Yarlung Tsangpo in December 2024.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project:
1.It is a proposed hydropower project of approximately 11,200 MW capacity located in Arunachal Pradesh.
2.It evolved from a NITI Aayog proposal to merge two earlier planned stages into a single large storage project.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'McMahon Line', often referred to in the context of the India-China boundary, was drawn as part of which of the following?
The 'Border Area Development Programme (BADP)' is primarily aimed at which of the following?
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