China approves world’s largest dam on Brahmaputra River near border with India

Context: China has approved construction of the worlds largest dam, stated to be
the biggest infra project costing USD 137 billion, on the Brahmaputra River in
Tibet close to the Indian border, raising concerns in riparian states India and
Bangladesh. The Chinese government has approved the construction of a
hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the
Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra. The dam is to be built at a huge gorge in the
Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra River makes a huge U-turn to flow into
Arunachal Pradesh and then to Bangladesh. Concerns arose in India as the dam
besides empowering China to control the water flow, the size and scale of it
could also enable Beijing to release large amounts of water, flooding border
areas in times of hostilities.

Key points

·       Overview: Recently,
Chinese authorities have given the go ahead for a Chinese hydropower company to
construct the first downstream hydropower project on the lower reaches of the
river Brahmaputra (known as Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet).

·       Brahmaputra: It originates
under the name of Siang or Dihang, from the Chemayungdung glacier of the
Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake. It enters India west of Sadiya town in
Arunachal Pradesh. It is a perennial river and has several peculiar
characteristics due to its geography and prevailing climatic conditions. It is
flooded twice annually. One flood is caused by the melting of the Himalayan
snow in summer and the other due to the monsoon flows.

Ø  Tributaries -
Dibang, Lohit, Siang, Burhi Dihing, Tista, and Dhansari.

·       About
the Project: The state-owned hydropower company POWERCHINA signed a strategic
cooperation agreement with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government to
implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo river
as part of the new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). The Great Bend of the
Brahmaputra and the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Medog county, where the
river turns sharply to flow across the border into Arunachal Pradesh could be
the potential spot for the project.

·       Importance
of the Project for China: The 60 million kWh hydropower exploitation could
provide 300 billion kWh of clean, renewable and zero-carbon electricity
annually. The project will play a significant role in realising China’s goal of
reaching a carbon emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality till 2060.

·       Concerns
for India: India has been expressing concerns on Brahmaputra since 2015 when China
operationalised its project at Zangmu. A dam at the Great Bend, if approved,
would raise fresh concerns considering its location downstream and just across
the border from Arunachal Pradesh. However, India is concerned about the
Chinese activities affecting the quality of water, ecological balance and the
flood management. India and China do not have a water sharing agreement. Both
nations share hydrological data, so it becomes important to share genuine data
and have continuous dialogue on issues like warning of droughts, floods and
high-water discharges.

·       Way
Forward: India is required to go beyond the exchange of hydrological data and ask
China for information on the topographic condition of the whole basin. Any
forward movement on ensuring hydro-security in the Brahmaputra basin would
require a long-term understanding between the two countries. It is necessary
for India to engage China in a sustained dialogue and secure a water-sharing
treaty that serves the interests of both the countries.