Yarlung Zangbo Dam: China’s Mega Project and India’s Concerns
Why in the news
China’s planned dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet has raised alarm in India and beyond. China links it to its 2060 carbon neutrality goal, while others fear for water security, stability and ecology.
Key facts
- The Yarlung Zangbo flows as the Brahmaputra in India and ends in Bangladesh.
- The project is meant to be the world’s largest hydropower scheme, producing three times the power of the Three Gorges Dam.
- Site: a deep Himalayan gorge where the river makes a big U-turn, near the Indian border.
- A hydroelectric dam turns water’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy, which generators convert to electricity.
India’s concerns
- Water security: India, as lower riparian, gets about one-third of its freshwater from Tibetan rivers; flow changes hit farming, drinking water and hydropower.
- No legal cover: neither country has ratified the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention.
- Lapsed MoUs: data-sharing pacts on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej have expired.
- Seismic risk: the zone is highly quake-prone; the January 2025 Tibet earthquake killed over 120 people.
- Ecology: blocked sediment, harm to aquatic life, more bank erosion, effects on northeast India and Bangladesh.
- Regional split: Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan lack a joint stance; Bangladesh’s foreign policy shifted after Sheikh Hasina’s fall in August 2024.
Way forward
- Revive the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) and use it to negotiate fresh water-sharing MoUs.
- Form a regional water alliance to push Beijing for transparency.
- Build conservation and storage capacity to absorb upstream disruption.
Exam angle
- Yarlung Zangbo = Brahmaputra in India.
- Relevant bodies: Expert Level Mechanism; 1997 UN Watercourses Convention.
- China’s goal: carbon neutrality by 2060.