Dialogue can help China, India sidestep disputes over mega dam

The ambitious hydropower project, first announced in November 2020, is expected to surpass 1 trillion yuan (US$137 billion) in investment. Included in China’s 14th five-year plan (2021-2025), the dam is part of plans for China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and could generate three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam.

The Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is one of the world’s largest transnational rivers and vital to the livelihoods of millions across China, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Originating in southwest China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it flows through southern Tibet, crossing the Himalayas into India (where it is called the Brahmaputra), before entering Bangladesh.

The official go-ahead for the mega dam adds to India’s concerns over China’s large-scale engineering projects on shared rivers like the Brahmaputra, and underscores the complexities of Sino-Indian river governance.

The Brahmaputra is central to the socioeconomic development of both countries. For India, the river contributes nearly 30 per cent of the country’s freshwater resources and 40 per cent of its hydropower potential. The river plays a smaller role in China’s freshwater supply but is vital to Tibet’s agricultural and energy sectors.