NEW DELHI, Jun 21: China has begun work on the world’s largest hydroelectric dam, situated on the lower reaches of Tibet’s Yarlung Tsangpo River, about 50km from the Indian border, reports Indian broadcaster NDTV.
In response, India is also pushing forward with an initiative of its own " a 11,000MW hydroelectric and flood-control mega dam under the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh. If built, it would become India’s largest hydropower project, generating an estimated 47 billion units of electricity annually at a projected cost of $13 billion.
In addition to power generation, SUMP is also designed to control seasonal downstream flooding and protect Indians from risks of upstream divesions.
NDTV notes that while China’s 60,000MW Medog Hydropower Project is already under active construction, SUMP is still in its pre-feasibility study phase. The Indian broadcaster added that the Chinese project is reported to significantly exceed SUMP’s capacity as well.
“India is now trying to accelerate its own strategic response while closely monitoring Beijing's every move on the contested river [Yarlung Tsangpo],” it said.
The river, which enters India as the Siang, widens into the Brahmaputra River, which flows through Bangladesh. It is a lifeline for millions living on its banks.
NDTV says experts have warned that such massive dams upstream could “fundamentally alter water flows, devastate local ecosystems, cripple agriculture and unleash catastrophic and unpredictable flooding downstream”.
The central government, in a written response to the Lok Sabha, said it is monitoring Chinese activities for hydropower and vowed to implement preventive and corrective measures to safeguard lives and livelihoods, the report says.
Delhi says it has consistently requested Beijing for transparency, data sharing, and prior consultation on all transborder river projects. However, NDTV notes it has had limited success on this front."NDTV
