Beijing:
China has approved the construction of the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet near the Indian border, the world’s largest infrastructure project costing US$137 billion, raising concerns in the riparian states India and Bangladesh. Have gone. The Chinese government has approved the construction of a hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river, the Tibetan name of the Brahmaputra, according to an official statement quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.
Such a big dam…
Morning Post published a report on Thursday, this dam being built by China is to be built on a huge valley in the Himalayan region, where the Brahmaputra river takes a big U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then Bangladesh. The total investment in the dam could exceed one trillion yuan (US$137 billion), more than any other single infrastructure project on the world, including China’s own Three Gorges Dam, considered the largest in the world, in Hong Kong and South China. Will dwarf it. China has already started operating the largest US$1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station in Tibet in 2015. The Brahmaputra Dam was part of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and the national economic and social development and long-term objectives adopted by the Plenum, a key policy body of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).
India’s concerns increased…
The concerns of India and Bangladesh have increased regarding this Chinese dam, because this dam will empower China to control the water flow. Its size is so large that it can also enable Beijing to release large quantities of water into border areas during hostilities. India is also building a dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh. India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to transboundary rivers, under which China provides hydrological information on the Brahmaputra River and Sutlej River to India during the flood season. Is.
Where is China building jumbo dam?
The dam will be built in one of the rainiest parts of mainland China, where there will be abundant water flow. According to a report by 2023, hydropower stations are expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity every year, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 300 million people. In 2020, Yan Xiong, then chairman of China-owned Power Construction Corporation, was seen saying in the media that the site on the Yarlung Tsangpo was one of the most hydropower-rich areas in the world.
To increase the hydroelectric potential of the river, four to six 20 km long tunnels are to be dug through the Namcha Barwa Mountains to divert half of the river’s flow at a speed of approximately 2,000 cubic meters per second. Yan said that hydropower exploitation of the Yarlung Zangbo River downstream is more than a hydropower project. It is also meaningful for the environment, national security, standard of living, energy and international cooperation.
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(This news has not been edited by the NDTV team. It is published directly from the syndicated feed.)
