Is China’s USD 167 Billion Dam a Threat to India and Bangladesh and Can it Disrupt Brahmaputra Water?

China has started building a $167.8 billion dam on the Brahmaputra River near Arunachal Pradesh. The project has sparked serious concerns in India and Bangladesh about water security, ecological impact and strategic risks.

China has started building what it calls the world’s biggest dam project. This dam is coming up on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, very close to Arunachal Pradesh. The cost of the project is a huge USD 167.8 billion.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang recently laid the foundation stone in Nyingchi, Tibet. The river is called the Yarlung Zangbo in that region. The project has raised big concerns in India and Bangladesh, who fear China may control or block water flow in the future.

What is the project?

The new hydropower project will include five power stations. Once built, they will generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. That’s enough to power more than 300 million people.

The dam is located at a deep gorge in the Himalayas. This is where the Brahmaputra makes a sharp U-turn before entering Arunachal Pradesh and then flows into Assam and Bangladesh.

Why India and Bangladesh are worried

India and Bangladesh depend a lot on the Brahmaputra for drinking water, farming, and fishing. Experts in India fear the dam could:

• Reduce water flow downstream
• Block silt that helps crops grow
• Damage the river’s natural balance
• Be used as a weapon by China during conflict by releasing excess water

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu called it a ‘ticking water bomb’. He said China cannot be fully trusted and the dam is a bigger threat than even the military.

A sensitive location with earthquake risk

The dam is being built in a dangerous zone. The area often experiences earthquakes because it lies on a tectonic fault line. But China says it has carried out detailed studies to make the dam strong and safe.

Officials claim they will protect the environment and have done proper geological checks. The dam is also in one of the rainiest places on Earth, which adds to the challenge.

What India is doing

India is also building its own hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh. The aim is to use the river’s power and to stay prepared in case China controls too much of the water upstream.

India and China had earlier agreed to share water data under a deal called the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM), set up in 2006. China gives India rainfall and river flow data during flood seasons. But trust remains low.

India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi also discussed river data sharing during talks in December 2024.

China says no harm intended

Chinese officials say the new dam will not hurt downstream countries like India and Bangladesh. They claim the project is clean, safe, and meant only for power generation. China has said it will keep talking to neighbours about river data.

However, experts remain unsure whether China will keep its word in times of conflict.

China’s new mega dam on the Brahmaputra has opened a new chapter in regional tensions. While China sees it as an engineering marvel, India and Bangladesh see it as a serious concern.

(With inputs from agencies)

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