China has approved the construction of the world’s largest dam, costing $137 billion to build, making it the largest project ever built on Earth.
–Galla S Kiran Kumar, Bureau ChiefApproval for construction of dam bigger than Three Gorges
China has approved the construction of the world’s largest dam. The construction cost of the dam, which is the largest of its kind on Earth, is $137 billion. The project, which will be built on the Brahmaputra River near the Indian border in Tibet, has raised concerns among downstream countries India and Bangladesh. The Chinese government has approved the construction of a hydroelectric project on the Brahmaputra River, also known as the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, officials said, Xinhua news agency reported. The project will be built in a vast gorge in the Himalayas, the agency said. The project is planned to be built where the Brahmaputra River turns to enter Arunachal Pradesh in India.
The South China Morning Post newspaper reported on Thursday that the construction cost of this massive project, which is estimated at $137 billion, will also dwarf China’s massive Three Gorges Project. With the help of this project, China will be able to control the flow of water in the Brahmaputra River and also release a huge amount of flood water onto Indian territory, creating havoc.
According to an agreement between India and China, China upstream is supposed to share hydrological information related to the Brahmaputra with India downstream. However, due to the increasing tensions between the two countries, China is not sharing that information with India. The first agreement on the Brahmaputra river waters was signed between the two countries in 2002. Later, changes were made in 2008, 2013, and 2018 according to the prevailing conditions. The last agreement concluded expired in 2023. A new agreement was not reached after that in the wake of tensions between the two countries. At this time, China’s preparation for the construction of the project is disturbing India. If China completes the proposed project, India is likely to suffer immense losses. Beijing will have the opportunity to divert the Brahmaputra water during the dry season. This will cause severe water shortages for the people of the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. On the other hand, the Brahmaputra river experiences heavy flooding during the monsoon season. If a large amount of water is released at once, the downstream areas will be flooded. The project that China wants to build is just 30 kilometers away from the India-China border. Therefore, India also faces problems in terms of defense. If war conditions arise, there is a risk that China will use the water stored in this project as a ‘water bomb’ (submerging the downstream areas released at once).
