China Build World’s biggest Hydropower Dam in Tibet: Implications for India and Bangladesh

China has formally agreed to construct the world’s biggest hydropower dam across the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River; this marks a significant milepost in the country’s most ambitious infrastructure programs. Once completed, the dam will generate 300 billion kWh of electricity annually, enough to set a new record worldwide, one that will likely surpass the existing Three Gorges Dam, whose designed capacity has been recorded at 88.2 billion kWh.

China to Build World’s biggest Hydropower Dam in Tibet

According to the Power Construction Corporation of China‘s 2020 estimates, this project will utilize the hydropower potential of a segment of the Yarlung Zangbo River where water descends sharply by 2,000 meters over a stretch of only 50 kilometers. Despite the engineering challenges of the steep gradient, the promised energy output is enormous; the project has been framed as crucial in China’s path towards carbon neutrality. Moreover, it is expected to boost Tibetan industries, including engineering, and result in a large number of jobs in this region, according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.

Environmental And Regional Implications

Though the project aims to fulfill the domestic energy needs of China, it has caused significant concern for the downstream countries, such as India and Bangladesh. Since the Yarlung Zangbo River runs out of Tibet through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India and then it becomes the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh, any alterations in its flow can be devastatingly dangerous.

Threat to India and Bangladesh

1. Water Security: Changes in the river’s flow due to dam construction could disrupt water availability in India and Bangladesh, particularly in regions heavily reliant on the Brahmaputra for agriculture, drinking water, and industry.
2. Ecological Impact: The risk of the dam would create ecological imbalance in the river basin. Changes in water flow can affect biodiversity and, further, threaten the livelihood of communities dependent on fishing and agriculture.
3. Regional Tensions: It heightens the fears about China’s control over the river flow, which can possibly alter regional water dynamics and intensify geopolitical tensions between China, India, and Bangladesh.

Existing Hydropower Projects

China has started to tap into hydropower along the Yarlung Zangbo riverhead. The state will now embark on additional hydro power development along the Yarlung Zangbo River, a concern about China’s long-term plan of harvesting enormous hydropower potentials of this country that could ultimately destabilize downstream nations.
As construction continues, environmental, ecological, and geopolitical issues will need to be addressed in association with the project. Co-operation at the regional level and open water-sharing agreements could help mitigate potential conflicts and ensure that shared river resources are managed sustainably. But without concrete steps toward this end, the benefits accruing to China from this dam could come at a high price for its neighbors.