CHINA’S SUPER DAM ON YARLUNG ZANGBO RIVER

Nov. 30, 2020

China will build a “super” dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tibet, in a move that could have a far-reaching impact on northeast India’s water security.

About:

  • Originating in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), the trans-border Yarlung Zangbo flows into Arunachal Pradesh where it is called Siang and then to Assam as Brahmaputra before flowing into Bangladesh.

  • The dam could come up in the Medog county of TAR, which is close to Arunachal Pradesh.

  • China has already built several smaller dams on the Yarlung Zangbo river.

  • The new dam’s ability to generate hydropower could be three times that of central China’s Three Gorges Dam, which has the largest installed hydropower capacity in the world.