Chinese authorities have begun constructing what will be the world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibetan territory, sparking concerns from India and Bangladesh. The $12bn yuan ($1.67bn; £1.25bn) project, also known as the Motuo Hydropower Station, will overtake the Three Gorges dam as the world’s largest and could generate three times more energy.
The dam is situated in the Yarlung Tsangpo canyon, said to be the world’s largest and deepest canyon on land. Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over a ceremony marking the start of construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo river on Saturday, according to local media. The river flows through the Tibetan plateau as well as multiple South Asian nations.
Experts and officials have flagged concerns that the new dam would empower China to control or divert the trans-border Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows south into India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states as well as Bangladesh, where it feeds into the Siang, Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers. A 2020 report published by the Lowy Institute noted that “control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India’s economy”.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu expressed concern that the Siang and Brahmaputra could “dry up considerably” once the dam was completed. “It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of ‘water bomb’,” he said. “Suppose the dam is built and they suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed… The Adi tribe and similar groups… would see all their property, land, and especially human life, suffer devastating effects.”
India’s federal government has expressed concerns to China about the impact of the dam on communities downriver. China has said the development will prioritize ecological protection and boost local prosperity. China’s foreign ministry has previously responded to India, saying China has a “legitimate right” to dam the river and has considered downstream impacts.
Bangladesh also expressed concerns to China about the project, with officials sending a letter to Beijing requesting more information on the dam. The project has attracted criticism for its potential impact on millions of Indians and Bangladeshis living downriver, as well as the surrounding environment and local Tibetans.
The hydropower dam’s electricity would be mainly transmitted out of the region to be used elsewhere, while accommodating for Tibet’s needs. China has been eyeing the steep valleys and mighty rivers in the rural west – where Tibetan territories are located – to build mega-dams and hydropower stations that can sustain the country’s electricity-hungry eastern metropolises.
President Xi Jinping has personally pushed for this in a policy called “xidiandongsong”, or “sending western electricity eastwards”. However, activists say the dams are the latest example of Beijing’s exploitation of Tibetans and their land. Last year, the Chinese government rounded up hundreds of Tibetans who had been protesting against another hydropower dam, resulting in arrests and beatings.
There are also environmental concerns over the flooding of Tibetan valleys renowned for their biodiversity and the possible dangers of building dams in a region rife with earthquake fault lines.