China starts building $167 billion mega-dam on Brahmaputra amid India's ‘water bomb’ concern
With an estimated investment of approximately $167.1 billion, the Chinese dam project on Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet will comprise five hydropower stations.
China has begun construction of a massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in southeastern Tibet, which flows into India as the Brahmaputra. Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, according to state-run media.
The multi-billion-dollar dam, approved by Beijing in December 2023, is being built in the Nyingchi region, not far from the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh.
Due to the geographical positioning, New Delhi has in the past raised concerns over potential environmental and strategic threats because of its downstream impact on millions of people in India and Bangladesh. However, Beijing denies its ‘negative impacts.’
China's state news agency Xinhua reported that the electricity generated through the dam "will primarily be transmitted to other regions for consumption, while also meeting local power needs in Tibet."
With an estimated investment of 1.2 trillion yuan (approximately $167.1 billion), the project will comprise five hydropower stations. Once completed, it can surpass the scale of China's existing Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River.
'China’s dam is a water bomb'
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu has warned that the dam poses an existential threat to the people of the region and could be used as a “water bomb” by China.
“The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do,” Khandu told news agency PTI earlier this month.
“Setting aside the military threat from China, it seems to me that this is a far bigger issue than anything else. It is going to cause an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods. It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of 'water bomb’.”
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Khandu underlined the fact that China is not a signatory to any international water-sharing treaty, which, he said, could have compelled it to follow global norms.
“Suppose the dam is built and they suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed. In particular, the Adi tribe and similar groups... would see all their property, land, and especially human life, suffer devastating effects,” Khandu warned.
India to monitor, take necessary measures
India had earlier conveyed its concerns to Beijing about the dam’s implications. “We will monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests,” the ministry of external affairs said in January, adding that China "has been urged to ensure that the interests of the downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas."
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In response, China’s foreign ministry said in December that the project would not have any “negative impact” on lower riparian countries and promised to “maintain communication with countries at the lower reaches.”
To counter the potential threat, Khandu said that after consultations with the central government, Arunachal Pradesh is planning to launch the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. The project will act as a “defence mechanism” and help ensure water security in the region, the CM added.
