The Nagaland Community Conserved Areas’ Forum (NCCAF), an organisation representing community-conserved areas in Nagaland, has expressed solidarity with residents of Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang Valley over their opposition to the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), urging the Central and state governments to respect decisions taken by local communities through their traditional village councils.
In an open letter addressed to the people of Siang Valley, the forum said it stood with residents in their efforts to protect their ancestral land and the Siang river. It also called on the authorities to listen to the concerns of local communities and recognise their collective decisions on matters concerning their land and natural resources.
The letter, signed by NCCAF chairman Heirang Lungalang and secretary Seve R. Vadeo, drew parallels between the experiences of communities in Nagaland and those in Siang Valley, particularly regarding land rights, access to natural resources and the presence of security personnel in areas where people depend on agriculture and forests for their livelihoods.
Expressing concern over the situation in the valley, the forum referred to reports of women keeping vigil along riverbanks, elders facing action for supporting their villages and young people being detained. It also raised concerns over alleged restrictions on farmers during the harvest season, including difficulties in accessing agricultural fields and carrying traditional tools.
The organisation said the opposition to the proposed project was rooted in the right of indigenous communities to participate in decisions concerning their ancestral territories and resources.
Highlighting the importance of traditional institutions, the forum said the Adi community’s customary decision-making system, particularly the kebang, or traditional village council, played a central role in determining the future of its land and resources.
To support its position, the NCCAF referred to two resolutions adopted by traditional village institutions. In August 2025, the General Bogum Bokang Kebang at Geku declared the Siang river as Aane Siang, meaning a goddess river, and adopted a resolution opposing the proposed dam and its pre-feasibility survey.
Similarly, in March 2026, the kebang of Ramku village reportedly resolved that no individual or group could represent the village without authorisation from its Village Council.
The forum argued that decisions taken through established traditional institutions should not be overridden by signatures collected from individual households or by a small group of residents claiming to represent entire villages. It cautioned that such practices could create divisions within communities and undermine traditional systems of collective decision-making.
The letter also highlighted conservation initiatives undertaken by Adi communities to protect forests and natural resources. It referred to restrictions on hunting and fishing methods involving explosives, poison and electric current.
Gobuk village was cited as an example of a community that had moved away from hunting towards conservation. The forum also noted that several villages in Upper Siang had been setting aside forest areas for community protection.
Clarifying its position on development, the NCCAF said opposition to the proposed mega dam should not be viewed as resistance to development itself. It pointed out that the same traditional council opposing the large project had shown willingness to consider smaller dams on tributaries of the Siang river.
The organisation urged the Centre and the Arunachal Pradesh government to engage directly with residents through their traditional institutions and respect decisions taken collectively by the communities.
“A ‘no’ given by a people through its own council is an answer to be respected, not an obstacle to be worked around,” the letter stated.
The forum also expressed solidarity with families awaiting the return of detained members and said the people of Siang Valley were not alone in their concerns over the proposed project.
The proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project has faced opposition from sections of the Adi community over concerns about displacement, submergence of ancestral land, environmental consequences and the possible disruption of traditional livelihoods.
The project has also gained strategic significance in the context of China’s proposed hydropower development on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, which enters India as the Siang. However, concerns over the project’s potential impact on local communities, their ancestral land and the river’s ecosystem have remained central to the opposition in the valley.
The NCCAF’s intervention has brought support from community conservation groups in Nagaland to the ongoing debate in Arunachal Pradesh over the proposed hydropower project and the role of traditional institutions in decisions affecting indigenous communities.
