Opinion | Dialogue can help China, India sidestep disputes over mega dam

To alleviate concerns and reduce tensions, greater transparency, consistent data sharing and diplomacy are essential

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A man performs yoga on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati, India, on December 7. The river is central to the socioeconomic development of both India and China. Photo: AP

Published: 5:30am, 2 Jan 2025Updated: 5:41am, 2 Jan 2025

On Christmas Day, China formally approved a controversial 60-gigawatt “super dam” project in the Tibet autonomous region, on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the upper section of the transboundary Brahmaputra.

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.

Although the start date and exact location remain unclear, media reports from late 2020 suggested the dam could be built near the “Great Bend” close to the China-India border. This has sparked considerable alarm in downstream India. While the Chinese foreign ministry has pledged to maintain dialogue with downstream nations and step up cooperation on disaster prevention, amid Sino-Indian tensions, New Delhi remains wary about the mega dam’s impact on the Brahmaputra’s flow.

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.