China has officially started construction on a $168 billion hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, sparking concerns in India. The project, one of the world’s largest infrastructure ventures, is located near the sensitive border with India’s Arunachal Pradesh state, raising serious strategic and environmental concerns.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the beginning of construction during a foundation-laying ceremony in Nyingchi, Tibet. The hydropower dam is situated on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and will house five hydropower stations. Once completed, the dam is expected to generate over 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power more than 300 million people.
While Beijing claims the project will help boost power supply to remote regions of China and support local Tibetan demand, officials in India have raised alarms. Indian authorities are particularly concerned about the potential impact on the Brahmaputra River’s flow, fearing it could alter water distribution and lead to floods downstream, affecting millions of people in India and Bangladesh.
The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh has expressed serious concerns, stating that the hydropower dam poses a greater threat to the region than military tensions. He emphasized that it could endanger the local economy, agriculture, and tribal communities who depend on the river.
The Brahmaputra River is a trans-boundary river, flowing from China through India and into Bangladesh, making the project a trilateral issue. Despite this, China has proceeded with the dam’s construction without formal agreements with either India or Bangladesh. Analysts suggest that China’s reluctance to join multilateral water-sharing treaties allows it to exert disproportionate control over regional water resources.
This development has raised comparisons to India’s handling of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with critics wondering whether China is adopting a similar approach in its regional water disputes.
The construction of the hydropower dam remains a point of contention in international relations, with calls for dialogue and agreements to address the concerns of all involved nations.
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