ABSTRACT
India continued with the command model of water governance inherited from the colonial period. India's Northeast has been identified by New Delhi as the country's future 'powerhouse', and Arunachal Pradesh is slated to be the major contributor. In 2001, the country's Central Electricity Authority carried out a preliminary ranking of the hydroelectric potential of various Indian rivers. It identified 168 large projects in the Brahmaputra Basin alone, which collectively could generate more than 63,300 MW of hydropower. There are five potential areas which if neglected could lead to a more volatile situation in the region: big dams and displacement, cultural displacement and demographic change, further militarisation of an already securitised zone, marginalisation of the society and its aspirations, and human rights based development and indigenous issues. The people of the region are highly sceptical and apprehensive about the construction of 168 large dams, a majority of which are reportedly being built by private sector players.
