{"id":48780,"date":"2025-07-21T20:43:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T15:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=48780"},"modified":"2025-07-23T11:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T05:58:11","slug":"chinas-mega-dam-on-the-brahmaputra-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-07-2025\/chinas-mega-dam-on-the-brahmaputra-river","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s Mega-Dam on the Brahmaputra River"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ International Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>China <\/strong>officially commenced <strong>construction <\/strong>of a <strong>massive hydropower project <\/strong>on the<strong> Brahmaputra River in Tibet<\/strong>, near the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The project is being hailed as the <strong>largest infrastructure development<\/strong> of its kind globally.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Project Details:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It comprises<strong> five cascade hydropower stations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Total estimated investment:<\/strong> 1.2 trillion yuan (approx. USD 167.8 billion).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expected power generation:<\/strong> 300 billion kilowatt-hours annually \u2014 enough to power 300 million people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Location: <\/strong>Situated in the <strong>Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon<\/strong> (Brahmaputra in Tibet), where the river takes a U-turn near the India-China border before entering Arunachal Pradesh and eventually Bangladesh.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The region is seismically active and ecologically sensitive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cbd2c9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"759\" height=\"401\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chinas-Mega-Dam-on-the-Brahmaputra-River.png\" alt=\"China\u2019s Mega-Dam on the Brahmaputra River\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-48781\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cbd2c9; width:447px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chinas-Mega-Dam-on-the-Brahmaputra-River.png 759w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chinas-Mega-Dam-on-the-Brahmaputra-River-300x158.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Yarlung Tsangpo ( Zangbo) river<\/strong><br>&#8211; It <strong>originates from Chemayungdung Glacier<\/strong> in <strong>Tibet,<\/strong> and enters <strong>Arunachal Pradesh,<\/strong> where it is known as the <strong>Siang.\u00a0<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>In Assam,<\/strong> it is joined by tributaries such as <strong>Dibang and Lohit,<\/strong> and is called the <strong>Brahmaputra<\/strong>.\u00a0<br>&#8211; The river then enters<strong> Bangladesh<\/strong>, and makes its way to the Bay of Bengal.<br>&#8211; <strong>The basin<\/strong> spreads approximately 5,80,000 square kilometers across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-02-2025\/china-dam-project-concerns\">China <\/a>(50.5%), India (33.3%), Bangladesh (8.1%) and Bhutan (7.8%).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of the Project<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Concerns: <\/strong>India and Bangladesh are <strong>lower riparian states<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both rely<strong> heavily on the uninterrupted flow <\/strong>of the Brahmaputra for agriculture, drinking water, and ecosystem stability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concerns centre around<\/strong> disruptions to water flow, blocking of nutrient-rich silt, and potential ecological damage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It could also enable China to release large amounts of water<strong> flooding border areas in times of hostilities.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecological Risks:<\/strong> Threat to biodiversity and river ecosystems, including aquatic species and wetlands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seismic and Structural Risks:<\/strong> The Brahmaputra basin is seismically active, as evidenced by the <strong>1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A mega-dam in this zone could trigger disasters like dam collapse and floods due to structural failure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Tensions:<\/strong> Control over water resources may heighten tensions between China and lower riparian countries (India, Bhutan, Bangladesh).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disaster Vulnerability:<\/strong> Increased risk of <strong>Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)<\/strong>, as seen in the<strong> 2023 Sikkim floods.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Coordination Mechanism for Cooperation Between India and China:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is an <strong>umbrella Memorandum of Understanding<\/strong> on cooperation on transboundary rivers, and two separate MoUs on the <strong>Brahmaputra and Sutlej.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Brahmaputra MoU, renewable every five years, lapsed in <strong>2023.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The umbrella MoU was signed in <strong>2013<\/strong>, and has no expiry date.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>China and India<\/strong> have the <strong>Expert Level Mechanism (ELM)<\/strong> since <strong>2006<\/strong> for hydrological data sharing, but lack a comprehensive treaty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>None of the riparian nations (China, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh) are signatories to the <strong>UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strengthen diplomatic dialogue: <\/strong>Between China, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh for transparent water-sharing agreements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Mechanism: <\/strong>Establish a permanent transboundary river management authority for data-sharing on water flow, dam operations, and disaster forecasting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disaster Preparedness: <\/strong>Enhance regional cooperation for disaster management, including shared resources for relief efforts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Counter-Strategy: <\/strong>India is accelerating its own hydropower projects on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh as part of regional infrastructure and border development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/world\/story\/china-begins-construction-of-167-billion-mega-dam-over-brahmaputra-in-tibet-2758406-2025-07-20\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">China officially commenced construction of a massive hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, near the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Coordination Mechanism for Cooperation Between India and China:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">There is an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on transboundary rivers, and two separate MoUs on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Brahmaputra MoU, renewable every five years, lapsed in 2023.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The umbrella MoU was signed in 2013, and has no expiry date.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">China and India have the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) since 2006 for hydrological data sharing, but lack a comprehensive treaty.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-07-2025\/chinas-mega-dam-on-the-brahmaputra-river\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48780"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48929,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48780\/revisions\/48929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}