China began to build a massive dam on the longest river in Tibet, a decision approved by the central government in December despite the concerns of India, Bangladesh and groups of Tibetan rights on its impacts on residents and the environment.
The structure should cost more than 1 Yuan Billion (137 billion US dollars). Once finished, it would be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, generating 300 billion kilowatt hours of power per year, about three times the power of the Chinese Three Gorges dam, Xinhua, a press agency managed by the State, reported last year. Operations should start in the 2030s.
Prime Minister Li Qiang attended an early ceremony with other Nyingchi officials in southeast Tibet this weekend.
Xinhua indicated that the electricity generated “will be mainly transmitted to other regions for consumption, while meeting local energy needs in Tibet”.
The river is known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, Brahmaputra in India and Jamuna in Bangladesh. It flows into the three areas of its origin in the glaciers of Western Tibet.
Activist and climate researcher Manshi Asher told RFA in December that there was a “substantial evidence” of negative impacts of hydroelectric projects in the Himalayas.
“This project will undoubtedly modify the environmental flows of the river,” said Asher. “The larger the dam, the greater the impact on the river flows.”
Neeraj Singh Manhas, Special Advisor on South Asia in Parley Policy Initiative in South Korea, said in December that the dam could affect agriculture, hydroelectric production and the availability of drinking water in India.
“Seasonal changes in water flow could exacerbate floods or intensify droughts downstream, undermine livelihoods and ecosystems,” said Manhas.
During the weekend, the Chinese Prime Minister said that the emphasis “had to be put on ecological conservation to prevent environmental damage,” according to Xinhua.
China has built around 22,000 large dams to help fuel decades of rapid industrialization and economic growth – around 40% of the world total.
Includes agency reports France-Presse and Reuters.