The Chief Minister's Office of Arunachal Pradesh announced on Monday, June 8, 2026, that Chief Minister Pema Khandu has appreciated the 110 households of Geku for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) supporting the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, calling it a significant step towards national development, water security, and the protection of communities living along the Siang River.

Context

Geku, a settlement in Upper Siang district, became the first village cluster to formally sign on to the PFR process for the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. The MoU represents the consent and participation of local households in the preliminary planning stage of one of Arunachal Pradesh's most consequential proposed infrastructure undertakings. Chief Minister Khandu described the move as 'a significant step towards national development, water security and the protection of communities along the Siang River.'

The Siang River — the upper course of the Brahmaputra as it flows through Arunachal Pradesh — is a lifeline for riverine communities across the state and the broader Northeast. Community buy-in at the pre-feasibility stage is considered a foundational requirement before any large dam project can advance through environmental and statutory clearances.

Policy Backdrop

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is envisioned to serve three interlocking purposes: hydropower generation, flood moderation, and water storage for the Brahmaputra basin. Since 2016, the Arunachal Pradesh government under Pema Khandu has positioned hydropower and multipurpose river projects as central pillars of the state's development agenda, leveraging the state's vast river network to generate revenue and improve energy access.

The project also carries a pronounced strategic dimension. China has been constructing large dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo — the same river upstream before it enters Indian territory as the Siang — raising concerns in India about altered water flows, sudden flooding events, and long-term hydrological security. Developing robust infrastructure on the Indian side is seen by planners as both an energy imperative and a strategic counterbalance on a shared transboundary river system.

Stakeholders and Impact

The 110 households of Geku whose signatures anchor this MoU are among the communities most directly affected by any future construction. Their formal participation in the PFR process signals an early-stage social acceptance that project proponents will need to sustain and expand as planning advances to subsequent villages and districts along the Siang corridor.

Beyond Geku, the project's footprint is expected to involve a broader set of Siang riverine communities across Upper Siang and neighbouring districts. Flood-prone settlements downstream stand to benefit from the project's proposed moderation infrastructure, which has gained urgency following episodes of glacial lake outburst floods and sudden surges linked to upstream activity in Tibet.

What's Next

The completion of the PFR is a prerequisite for the project to move toward a detailed project report and formal sanction by the Union government. Analysts watching the project will track whether subsequent village-level MoUs follow in other Geku-adjacent settlements, and whether the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Power accelerate central clearances in the wake of growing community participation.

The Geku MoU sets a template for community engagement that the Arunachal government may seek to replicate across the Siang basin. How swiftly that momentum translates into statutory approvals and project financing will determine whether the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project moves from the planning ledger to ground-level execution within this decade.