"Construction of barrage on River Siang is only option to tame its course, flow": Arunachal CM Pema Khandu

East Siang (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], September 8 : Acknowledging the recurring land erosions by River Siang every monsoon in the Mebo area of East Siang district a major cause of concern, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that construction of a 'barrage' on the river is the only viable option to tame it’s course and flow.

Attending the opening day of the 3-day Banggo Solung celebrations at Mebo on Thursday, Khandu counted the massive losses caused by flooding waters of River Siang along the left bank in the plains of the Mebo area.
Sharing reports of China proposing to construct a dam worth over 60000 MW over River Siang in Tibet just before it enters Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu expressed serious concerns but assured that both Centre and state governments are privy to the development.
He said that while the Centre is responding to the development at its level, the concern of the state government is to save River Siang at all costs and also to keep its flow under control.
"History is the witness that we cannot trust our 'neighbour'. You never know what they can do. They can either divert the entire river flow drying up our Siang or release water at once causing unprecedented flood havoc downstream," he said.
"The only solution to these threats is that we too construct a barrage on the River Siang. While this barrage will save water from the tributaries within Arunachal to maintain the natural flow of Siang, it will also protect our land from flash floods. Hydropower generation is our secondary objective," Khandu added.
He, however, passed the onus on the Adi society whether to build the barrage or not. He said that 30-40 years down the line people shouldn’t blame the leadership for not doing anything while China was building the mega dam.
Meanwhile, hailing the Adis for taking pride in their rich culture, Khandu reiterated his stand for passing on the heritage to the next generation without dilution.
He urged the elders to encourage the young ones to participate in traditional practices and learn to speak their native languages passed down for generations.
"Without our identity, we will be lost in the vast majority of people who have long lost their indigeneity," Khandu added.
"A couple of years ago, the all-important Mebo-Dhola road was breached. We constructed an alternate road. This too was eroded the next year. We then spent about Rs 35 crore through the Department of Water Resources to construct flood protection structures. These too got eroded. The famous Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary on the right bank is also shrinking due to soil erosion. We need to find a long-term solution to the problem," he said.
Khandu admitted that safeguarding a 23 km long bank is not an easy task but the governments, both at the state and central levels, are committed to making life easy for the 10-plus villages that bear the brunt of River Siang every monsoon.
He informed that the Central government has asked the state government to submit a comprehensive plan for the protection of both left and right banks as a single project. "The state government through WRD is working on it", he said.
The celebration was also attended by Lok Sabha MP Tapir Gao, local legislator Lombo Tayeng, MLAs Kaling Moyong and Ninong Ering, Advisor to CM Dr Tangor Tapak, former ministers Roding Pertin and Bosiram Siram, former MLAs Ralom Borang and Tatung Jamoh and others.