China’s mega dam threat to millions in India and Bangladesh: Arunachal CM

The CM said that the northern neighbour could use the dam as a “water bomb”.

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu said on Friday that millions in India and Bangladesh could be affected by the 60,000 MW mega dam that China has decided to construct in Tibet on the Yarlung Tsangpo river.

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu.(CM Office)

The CM said that the northern neighbour could use the dam as a “water bomb”, which, if released, would have disastrous consequences downstream. The Yarlung Tsangpo is called Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and named Brahmaputra after it enters Assam and flows through Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal.

“China’s construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River poses significant risks to the water security, ecology, and livelihoods of millions of people downstream in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh," Khandu said on the sidelines of a seminar titled ‘Environment and Security’ in Itanagar. "The potential disruption of water flow, flooding, and ecosystem degradation could have far-reaching consequences on us.”

He pointed that the dam would allow China to control the timing and volume of water flowing downstream, which could have devastating effects during periods of low flow or drought.

The Siang or the Brahmaputra River would dry up during winters disrupting life in the Siang belt and the plains of Assam, he cautioned.

According to Khandu, any sudden release of water from the dam could cause severe flooding downstream, particularly during monsoon seasons, displacing communities, destroying crops, and damaging infrastructure.

Furthermore, the dam would alter the sediment flow, affecting agricultural lands that rely on the river’s natural replenishment of nutrients, he said.

“If China uses it as a water bomb, it will completely affect the Adi tribe (who reside in the Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh) and millions in Assam and as far as Bangladesh. It’s a matter of big concern,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the seminar.

Khandu said it was more worrying since China is not a signatory of global treaties on water. He stressed that to offset the probable damages caused by the Chinese dam, the Indian government has proposed the construction of the 12500 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

“It’s a project of national importance and I am holding discussions with people regarding that. The project is needed to maintain our water security and if China uses their dam in future as a water bomb, we should be ready with our defence mechanism,” the CM said.

Residents of Siang district have opposed the project, saying it will uproot families and have an adverse environmental impact. The hydropower project by NHPC (formerly National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) involves construction on the Siang River at three proposed sites: Dite Dime, Parong, and Uggeng.

Last month, fresh demonstrations took place against the district administration's decision to deploy Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to aid surveyors in conducting the project's pre-feasibility report (PFR).

Khandu said that while India advocates peace along its borders, China is a neighbour who cannot be trusted, given its history of relations.

“Given their history, there’s a big question mark on whether we can rely on China. Their expansionist policy has led to over-exploitation of resources in Tibet,” he said.

In his speech, Khandu highlighted that all major rivers of India originate from the Tibetan Plateau and the Chinese government’s rampant exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources pose a serious threat to the very existence of these river systems, upon which millions of Indians depend for survival.

“Tibet is often referred to as the “Water Tower of Asia,” supplying water to over a billion people in the region. Its environmental health is critical not only to China and India but much of Asia. India, given its direct dependency on Tibet’s rivers and climate patterns, has a significant role to play in global environmental conservation efforts,” he said.