Chinese authorities have commenced construction of what is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, raising alarm in India, Bangladesh, and among local Tibetan communities.
According to state media reports, Chinese Premier Li Qiang officiated a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, marking the start of the ambitious project located in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows through the Tibetan Plateau into India and Bangladesh, plays a vital role in the livelihoods of millions downstream.
The dam, officially named the Motuo Hydropower Station, is expected to surpass the Three Gorges Dam in scale, with an estimated cost of 12 billion yuan ($1.67 billion) and the capacity to generate three times more energy.
While Beijing has promised that the development will “prioritise ecological protection and boost local prosperity,” regional stakeholders have voiced deep concern over its transboundary impacts.
Experts have warned that the new facility would give China greater control over the river’s flow, potentially affecting water security in India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states, and in downstream Bangladesh. A 2020 report by the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, highlighted that “control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India’s economy.”
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, in an interview with PTI, cautioned that the Siang and Brahmaputra Rivers could “dry up considerably” after the dam’s completion. He described the development as “an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods,” adding:
“It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of ‘water bomb’… Suppose the dam is built and they suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed. In particular, the Adi tribe and similar groups… would see all their property, land, and especially human life, suffer devastating effects.”
India’s federal government has previously raised the issue with China and is currently planning to construct its own hydropower project on the Siang River to act as a buffer and mitigate potential floods from sudden upstream discharges.
Bangladesh, equally concerned, reportedly sent a letter to Beijing in February seeking clarification and further details about the dam.
The Motuo project is situated in a remote and ecologically sensitive area near the Namcha Barwa mountain, where the Yarlung Tsangpo performs a dramatic U-turn known as “the Great Bend,” dropping hundreds of meters in elevation. Engineers plan to drill multiple 20-kilometre-long tunnels through the mountain to divert water and construct a cascade of five power stations.
A recent report by Xinhua stated that the electricity generated from the dam would primarily be transmitted to China’s eastern regions under the national strategy known as “xidian dongsong”, or “sending western electricity eastwards,” while also serving local Tibetan communities.
Despite official narratives portraying the project as a driver of clean energy and rural development, critics argue it symbolizes the ongoing exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources. Environmentalists have warned about the potential loss of biodiversity due to valley flooding and the risks of building dams in an area prone to earthquakes.
Last year, protests against another hydropower project in Tibet were met with a harsh crackdown, with hundreds of demonstrators reportedly arrested and some seriously injured, according to sources and verified footage obtained by the BBC.
As construction proceeds, the Motuo dam continues to be a flashpoint in regional geopolitics, environmental activism, and the broader debate over China’s infrastructure ambitions in Tibet.
