It is learnt that India is retaining an in depth eye on the development of what’s mentioned to be the world’s largest hydropower dam.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday (July 19, 2025) introduced the beginning of the development of the dam within the decrease reaches of the Brahmaputra River, domestically generally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City situated near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) within the Arunachal Pradesh sector.
The venture “is not going to have any adverse influence on the downstream areas”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun mentioned at a media briefing, whereas responding to a query on considerations in India and Bangladesh over the dam.
There have been mounting considerations in India over the potential environmental influence of the dam.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu just lately referred to as it a ticking “water bomb”, an existential menace and an even bigger situation than the rest other than the army menace.
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In an interview with PTI on July 8, Mr. Khandu mentioned the world’s largest dam venture on the Brahmaputra river is a matter of grave concern, as China is just not a signatory to the worldwide water treaty that would have compelled it to abide by worldwide norms.
“The situation is that China can’t be trusted. No one is aware of what they could do,” mentioned Mr. Khandu.
The dam is predicted to generate greater than 300 billion kWh of electrical energy every year, sufficient to fulfill the annual wants of over 300 million individuals.
Concerns arose in India because the dam in addition to empowering China to manage the water move, the scale and scale of it may additionally allow Beijing to launch massive quantities of water that would flood border areas on the Indian facet.
Playing down the considerations of the decrease riparian states, Mr. Guo mentioned China has cooperated with them by sharing hydrological information, flood prevention and catastrophe alleviation.
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China had essential communication with the 2 nations on the venture, he mentioned, including that China would proceed to reinforce cooperation with downstream nations to profit the individuals alongside the river.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson mentioned the event of the venture within the decrease reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is a matter of China’s sovereignty.
The venture was geared toward constructing clear vitality, enhancing native individuals’s lives and in response to local weather change, he added.
In the planning, design and building of the hydro energy tasks within the decrease reaches, China strictly follows the very best industrial requirements in defending ecological atmosphere in an all-round manner, he mentioned.
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He additionally claimed that the event of the venture will assist forestall disasters alongside the entire river and won’t have a adverse influence on the downstream areas.
China has already operationalised the $1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the most important in Tibet, in 2015, which raised considerations in India.
Critics level out that the dams in Brahmaputra current an unlimited engineering challenges because the venture website is situated alongside a tectonic plate boundary the place earthquakes happen incessantly.
The Tibetan plateau, thought to be the roof of the world, periodically experiences earthquakes as it’s situated over the tectonic plates.
India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to debate varied points associated to trans-border rivers below which China offers India with hydrological info on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers throughout the flood seasons.
However, the sharing of hydrological information between the 2 nations hit a roadblock following the jap Ladakh border row.
Data sharing of trans-border rivers figured within the talks between India and China Special Representatives (SRs) for the border query, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held in Beijing on December 18 final 12 months.
Reports from Dhaka mentioned the Chinese envoy to Bangladesh Yao Wen has assured that its dam is solely for electrical energy era and won’t have an effect on water move to downstream nations.
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Mr. Yao conveyed the message throughout a gathering with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain throughout their assembly on July 21.
“China is not going to withdraw or use any water from the venture and the venture is not going to have an effect on downstream nations,” he was quoted as saying in a media report.
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