China has started construction of a huge dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet. This project is going to be the largest dam in the world, costing about 167.8 billion US dollars. The size of this project will be much bigger than the Three Gorges Dam built earlier in China. China has launched it in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River near the town of Nyingchi in Tibet. Due to this huge dam, safety and environmental concerns have intensified in India. Let’s know in detail about this project and its potential challenges for India.
World’s largest dam project
The construction of this new dam in China is taking place on the Brahmaputra River in the Nyingchi region of Tibet. The dam will be a cluster of five hydro power stations, with a total cost estimated at around 1.2 trillion yuan (US$167.8 billion). It is considered to be the largest infrastructure project in China and the largest in the world. This project will be bigger than the Three Gorges Dam, which was considered to be the largest dam in the world until now. China launched the Jam Hydro Power Station in Tibet in 2015 at a cost of $1.5 billion. After that project, this new dam is many times bigger than that. It was formally launched by the Prime Minister of China, Li Qiang, with a Bhoomi Poojan in Nyingchi.
The importance of this dam for China
This hydro power project is expected to generate more than 300 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year. The energy needs of about 300 million people can be met with this much electricity. This electricity is being generated mainly for external consumption, and will also meet the local energy demand of the Tibet region. For China, this project is very important from the economic and strategic point of view. This will not only increase energy production, but also strengthen China’s grip on the water resources of the Brahmaputra River. With this dam, China will gain control of large hydropower near its borders, which is a matter of concern for bordering countries.
Why are the concerns growing for India?
For India, the construction of this dam has brought many concerns. The Brahmaputra River flows through Arunachal Pradesh and later Bangladesh in the northeastern region of India. It is suspected that this new dam of China will disrupt the flow of water to India. The biggest concern is that China can control the flow of water through this dam. In the event of war or tension, it can stop the water from this dam or suddenly release large quantities of water, causing floods in Arunachal Pradesh and surrounding areas. India is also building a dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh, so the issue becomes more sensitive.