The US$168 billion Himalayan super-dam is being constructed
on the Yarlung Zangbo River (also known as the Brahmaputra) in the one of the
world's most seismically active zones, straddling a heavily militarized
frontier where Beijing claims India's sprawling Arunachal Pradesh state as
"South Tibet."
"Constructing the world's largest dam atop a geological
fault line is more than reckless ‑ it is a calculated gamble with catastrophic
potential," the author of "Water: Asia's New Battleground" says.
"Any collapse, whether from structural weakness or reservoir-induced
seismicity, would devastate India's northeast and Bangladesh, placing tens of
millions at risk."
"The stakes extend beyond Asia," he adds.
"Tibet is warming twice as fast as the global average, accelerating
glacier melt and permafrost thaw. With its towering height rising into the
troposphere, the Tibetan Plateau shapes the Asian monsoons, stabilizes climate
across Eurasia and influences the Northern Hemisphere's atmospheric general
circulation."
Here is a summary about the Himalayan super-dam/ hydropower
project on the Yarlung Zangbo (upper Brahmaputra) river.
The project is officially known as the Yarlung Zangbo
hydropower project, also referred to by names like the Medog Hydropower Station
in some sources.
It is being built in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo
River in the Tibet Autonomous Region (People’s Republic of China), particularly
in Medog County/ Nyingchi Prefecture, near the area where the river makes the
dramatic U-turn close to the border with Arunachal Pradesh, India.
The total investment is estimated to be around 1.2 trillion
yuan, which translates roughly US$168 billion. It will consist of five cascade
hydropower stations. Expected electricity generation is about 300 billion
kilowatt-hours per year. Commercial operations are planned for some time in the
2030s.
The site takes advantage of a section of the river where
there is a 2,000 meter drop over a relatively short distance, about 50
kilometers, which gives great potential for hydropower generation.
Rivers downstream of this are India’s Brahmaputra and then
Bangladesh’s (Jamuna), so water flow and downstream effects are a big concern.
India and Bangladesh have expressed concerns about how the
dam might affect water volume, timing of flow, sediment transport, and flooding
downstream.
The region is ecologically rich, with biodiversity hotspots.
Building large dams in steep gorges may disrupt habitats, wildlife, and the
natural ecology.
Because Tibet is tectonically active, building in deep
gorges and making large engineering modifications poses risk. Landslide,
earthquake hazards are of concern.
It is not yet clear how many people would need to be
relocated or how local Tibetan communities will be affected.
China says the project is important to help meet its
increasing demand for clean energy and to reach net-zero emissions goals. It
also maintain, in official statements, that downstream impacts will be minimal
and manageable.
