Dimapur, November 9 (MExN): The Nagaland Community Conserved Areas’ Forum (NCCAF) has expressed solidarity with the people of Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh over their opposition to the proposed mega dam on the Siang river.
In an open letter, the NCCAF said they had been watching developments in the valley with concern. "We have seen your mothers keeping watch on the riverbank at night, your elders punished for standing with their own villages, your young people taken away," the letter stated.
The forum said it understood the community's concerns, citing its own experience of protecting land and natural resources. The letter highlighted the Adi community's traditional conservation practices, including restrictions imposed by the kebang on hunting and fishing using explosives, poison and electric current. It also cited Gobuk village's shift from hunting to conservation and forest protection initiatives in Upper Siang.
Referring to the General Bogum Bokang Kebang held at Geku in August 2025, the forum said the gathering had declared the river ‘Aane Siang’, meaning a goddess river, and resolved against the mega dam and its pre-feasibility survey. It also cited a March 2026 resolution by Ramku village kebang stating that "no one acting without the Village Council’s authority can speak for the village."
"Signatures gathered household by household, or from two residents on behalf of a whole village, cannot take its place," the letter stated, warning that such practices could divide communities. Rejecting the portrayal of the opposition as resistance to development, NCCAF noted that the same kebang had expressed willingness to welcome small dams on the Siang's tributaries.
The forum urged authorities to respect decisions made through traditional village institutions. It concluded with a message of solidarity: "May the Siang your forefathers gave you flow on, free, for your children."
