China to build the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River

China has approved the construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River

Key Highlights

• The dam will be close to the Indian border, raising concerns in India and Bangladesh, which are the lower riparian states.
• It will be constructed at a massive gorge in the Himalayan region, where the Brahmaputra River takes a sharp U-turn before flowing into Arunachal Pradesh (India) and then Bangladesh.
• The Brahmaputra River is known as — the Yarlung Zangbo River in the Tibetan region.
• Project Costing: one trillion yuan ($137 billion) Approximately
• Expected Electricity Generation (Annually): over 300 billion kWh
• The site is located on a tectonic plate boundary prone to earthquakes.

 

Concerns in India and Bangladesh:

• The dam’s construction could empower China to control water flow, potentially releasing large amounts of water during times of conflict.
• India is also building its dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Concerns about the dam’s impact on the river’s flow and regional water security have been raised by India and Bangladesh.