Asian Insider

China's mega dam project raises concerns in India

Fears over impact on water flow downriver; Beijing seen as getting leverage amid tensions

The Yarlung Tsangpo flows into India where it is called the Brahmaputra (above). It then flows into Bangladesh, which could also pay the price for any water hostilities between China and India, as well as construction of dams on the river.
The Yarlung Tsangpo flows into India where it is called the Brahmaputra (above). It then flows into Bangladesh, which could also pay the price for any water hostilities between China and India, as well as construction of dams on the river. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Prayer flags hanging in front of the Zangmu Hydropower Station in China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi has denied that China's planned mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River - reportedly less than 50km from the Indian bord
Prayer flags hanging in front of the Zangmu Hydropower Station in China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi has denied that China's planned mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River - reportedly less than 50km from the Indian border - would have any impact on water flow, noting that Beijing has always taken "a responsible attitude towards the development and utilisation of cross-border rivers". PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Nirmala Ganapathy India Bureau Chief In New Delhi
Updated
Jan 18, 2021, 07:02 AM
Published
Jan 18, 2021, 05:00 AM
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Could water be the next source of tension between India and China?

India for long has been worried about China building dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows into India where it is called the Brahmaputra, and then into Bangladesh.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 18, 2021, with the headline China's mega dam project raises concerns in India . Subscribe

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