Chinese authorities have officially commenced construction of what is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet, raising fresh concerns in India and Bangladesh over downstream water flow and regional stability.
On Saturday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over the ground-breaking ceremony on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet’s remote Medog County, according to local media reports. The Motuo Hydropower Station, as it is officially named, is estimated to cost 12 billion yuan (\$1.67bn; £1.25bn) and, once completed, will surpass the capacity of the existing Three Gorges Dam. The dam is expected to generate up to three times more energy.
While Beijing has claimed that the project prioritises environmental protection and local development, the dam’s strategic location — along the Yarlung Tsangpo, which becomes the Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers as it flows into India and Bangladesh — has alarmed both neighbours.
Critics say the dam could allow Beijing to manipulate water flow, impacting millions downstream. A 2020 report by the Australian-based Lowy Institute warned that “control over these rivers \[in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India’s economy.”
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu voiced serious concerns, saying the dam posed “an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods”. He added: “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.”
India’s central government has previously lodged objections with China and is reportedly developing a hydropower project on the Siang River as a defensive measure to manage flooding risks from potential water discharges upstream.
Bangladesh, which also relies heavily on the transboundary river system, has formally requested details from Beijing. In February, Dhaka reportedly sent a letter to Chinese authorities seeking information about the dam and its potential impact.
Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, reported that engineers plan to “straighten” the river’s path by drilling several 20km-long tunnels through the Namcha Barwa mountain, effectively diverting water and creating five cascading power stations. Most of the electricity generated will be transmitted to eastern China under President Xi Jinping’s “xidiandongsong” initiative – a policy aimed at sending power from the underdeveloped west to the industrialised east.
Environmental groups and Tibetan activists have denounced the project as a further encroachment on Tibetan autonomy and biodiversity. The area around the planned dam site is renowned for its ecological richness and vulnerability to earthquakes. Past anti-dam protests by Tibetans have been met with arrests and violent crackdowns.
Despite these warnings, Chinese officials maintain the project will bring economic benefits and reduce carbon emissions. Yet, for India, Bangladesh and environmentalists, the price may be far higher.
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