China has given the green light to construct the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, near its border with India. This massive $137 billion project is set to become the largest infrastructure initiative globally, surpassing the scale of even the iconic Three Gorges Dam, which currently holds the title for the world’s largest hydropower facility.
The dam will be built in a deep Himalayan gorge, where the Brahmaputra River, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, makes a sharp turn before flowing into Arunachal Pradesh in India and later into Bangladesh. The location, with its steep slopes and powerful water currents, offers ideal conditions for hydropower generation. However, the project has raised serious concerns for countries downstream, particularly India and Bangladesh, which depend on the river for agriculture, drinking water, and energy needs.
According to Chinese state media, this dam is part of the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and its broader development goals extending to 2035. It also adds to China’s list of major hydropower achievements in Tibet, such as the Zam Hydropower Station, which began operations in 2015 at a cost of $1.5 billion.
Despite its ambitious scope, the project has sparked widespread geopolitical and environmental worries. Downstream nations fear that such a massive dam could disrupt the natural flow of the Brahmaputra, threatening water supplies and livelihoods. There is also concern that China could use the dam to control water flow, creating potential political leverage over neighboring countries.
Environmental experts have also highlighted the risks of building a dam of this scale in an ecologically fragile region. The construction could disturb local biodiversity, disrupt natural ecosystems, and lead to challenges like sediment buildup and increased flood risks.
This project underscores the growing complexities of managing transboundary rivers, where decisions made upstream can have far-reaching consequences for nations downstream. It highlights the need for international cooperation to address the environmental and water security concerns of all countries sharing the Brahmaputra River.
