(TibetanReview.net, Feb05’25) –Not only is China reckless in starting to build the world’s largest dam in a seismically active zone in Himalayan Tibet, but the dam itself represents an earthquake risk, the ANI news service Feb 4 cited a paper from The Institute for Security and Development Policy Stockholm as saying.
The new dam, being built in Tibet’s Metog County over the Yarlung Tsangpo just before the river enters the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, will have the capacity to generate three times more electric energy than the world’s current largest dam, the Three Gorges Dam in China proper. There are fears that already the Three Gorges Dam has caused earthquakes and landslides while also slowing, even if insignificantly, the earth’s rotation.
Building river dams and artificial reservoirs causes “irreversible modification of natural landscapes” and “such extensive interference can even increase the risk of earthquakes, the paper was cited a saying of the series of Chinese dams built or being built on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.
The paper, “Chinese Water Projects in Tibet: A Continental Challenge” written by Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis, is stated to note that despite China’s assurances regarding safety and ecological protection, the project has already generated significant controversy–particularly in India, where, due to engineering challenges, it has also been labelled the “world’s riskiest project.”
“While hydroelectricity is generally considered a form of renewable energy, the construction and operation of dams have generated significant controversy. First, building river dams and artificial reservoirs results in an irreversible modification of natural landscapes. Such extensive interference can even increase the risk of earthquakes.”
The report is also stated to refer to the dam projects’ severe impact on the local Tibetan population, which is often forced to relocate. Relocation schemes combined with the destruction of historical and religiously significant sites have frequently sparked protests in Tibet. Chinese authorities have been accused of arresting Tibetan protesters and enforcing relocations, which have further impoverished “dam migrants”, the report noted.
Also in Tibet itself, the paper has noted, the creation of reservoirs with much larger surface areas than rivers have resulted in excessive water evaporation. Hydropower projects are not always reliable for energy generation, particularly during droughts. For example, in the summer of 2022, the low water levels in rivers in China proper rendered dams unable to produce sufficient energy. Consequently, power cuts impacted the food industry and factory production.
The paper is also stated to refer to the growing concern regarding China’s plans and intentions regarding water-sharing practices among nations of both South and Southeast Asia.
The paper has noted that already the main concern for Southeast Asia seemed to be the normalisation of incidents including lowering of water level on the Mekong River through dam operation. It has recalled a 2021 incident, when China reduced the water flow on the Mekong River by 50% without prior warning, resulting “in a one-metre drop in water level which significantly disrupted fishing, farming, and transportation across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.”
The paper has said that soon after the reports of the Yarlung Tsangpo super-dam construction emerged in the media, many, including citizens and strategic experts, raised concerns about its impact on the downstream region of India, along with neighbouring Bangladesh.
Despite these concerns, China continues to expand its river dam system, impacting both the local Tibetan population and downstream countries, the paper was stated to note.