International Desk

China’s decision to build the world’s largest hydropower dam on a river that flows into India and Bangladesh has sparked concerns in both countries over the project’s potential impact on millions living downstream.

Beijing last month approved the super dam’s construction — a new potential flashpoint between India and Beijing — on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, which is known as the Brahmaputra River in India. The river plunges some 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) along a section called the “Great Bend” before entering India, offering huge potential to generate power.

China’s Xinhua news agency describes the development as “a safe project that prioritizes ecological protection” and says it would play a major role in meeting the country’s carbon neutrality goals.

But environmentalists in India have flagged concerns about the mega-project in an ecologically sensitive, mountainous region. They say harnessing the river could affect water flow in the country’s northeastern states and Bangladesh.

According to estimates, the planned project would dwarf China’s Three Gorges Dam — the world’s largest — and generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

India is urging China to ensure interests of downstream states aren’t harmed by activities upstream. “We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said last week.

Defending its plans, China says the decision to build the dam was made after rigorous scientific evaluation. “The project will not have a negative impact on the ecological environment, geological conditions and the rights and interests related to water resources of downstream countries,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said earlier this week in response to India’s concerns.

Experts in India and Bangladesh, however, are raising questions about the project. “The region proposed for dam construction is highly susceptible to landslides and is located on a geological fault line that intersects the Yarlung Zangbo,” said Y. Nithiyanandam, head of the Geospatial Research Programme at the Bengaluru-based Takshashila Institution.

“Planning a dam of this magnitude in such complex terrain poses significant risks to downstream regions of India and Bangladesh, especially in the event of a mishap or if there is alteration in the water flow.”

The recent earthquake in Tibet that killed at least 126 people has highlighted the region’s vulnerability to such natural disasters, he said. “This is a critical reminder to reassess the proposal for building a mega-dam in such an environment.”
India has also planned a dam on the Brahmaputra River that it hopes will help offset the impact of China’s hydropower project. “The Siang dam will be our counter to the Chinese mega-dam. This is a matter of national security,” Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein told reporters on Monday.

China’s planned super dam has also raised worries in Bangladesh — where the river flows beyond India — that tens of thousands living along riverbanks could be affected if downstream flow is reduced.

“There would be a huge negative impact in Bangladesh,” said Malik Fida Khan, executive director of the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services in Dhaka.

“If there is an obstruction in the flow of the river, it could create water scarcity as well as the flow of nutrient-rich sediment, creating an ecological imbalance,” he said. “Riverbank erosion could increase, and this will impact the lives of marginal communities as well as other economic activities in the area.”