Concerns Arise Over China’s Yarlung Tsangpo Super-Dam in Tibet
China’s Yarlung Tsangpo super-dam construction in Tibet raises concerns about increased earthquake risk and significant impacts on local communities and downstream countries. It may alter natural landscapes, provoke forced relocations, and disrupt water-sharing practices among Southeast Asian nations, complicating regional relations. The project also risks energy reliability during drought periods.
Recent developments regarding China’s Yarlung Tsangpo super-dam in Tibetan Tibet have raised significant concerns regarding the ecological and seismic risks associated with its construction. As reported by the ANI news service on February 4, experts highlight that building the world’s largest dam in a seismically active area heightens the likelihood of earthquakes. The dam’s capacity will exceed three times that of the current largest dam, the Three Gorges Dam.
Environmentally, the construction poses serious threats causing irreversible alterations to natural landscapes and potentially increasing seismic activity. The paper, “Chinese Water Projects in Tibet: A Continental Challenge” by Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis details how these modifications can further complicate regional stability, particularly affecting India and other downstream countries.
Furthermore, the dam’s development has prompted severe implications for local Tibetan inhabitants, often leading to forced relocations. Displacement schemes and the destruction of culturally significant sites have incited protests, with reports of the Chinese authority arresting demonstrators and impoverishing those relocated, as noted in the report.
The increasing reservoir size has resulted in considerable water evaporation, which raises reliability concerns for energy generation during droughts. The summer of 2022 exemplified this issue when diminished river levels across China hindered dam operations, resulting in power cuts that adversely impacted the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
Additionally, future water-sharing dynamics among South and Southeast Asian nations remain contentious due to Chinese dam activities. An alarming precedent was set when China unilaterally reduced the flow of the Mekong River by 50% in 2021, substantially disrupting the livelihoods of millions in downstream nations. Concerns about the Yarlung Tsangpo Dam’s impact on India’s water access have been echoed by many stakeholders.
The Yarlung Tsangpo dam, under construction in Tibet’s Metog County, is set to be the largest hydroelectric dam globally. Situated in a seismically active zone, it poses significant risks of earthquakes and environmental degradation. Concerns have been expressed regarding the impact on the Tibetan population and neighboring regions, shedding light on China’s broader water policy in Southeast Asia, which has raised alarms in countries dependent on shared rivers such as the Mekong.
The construction of the Yarlung Tsangpo super-dam highlights critical environmental, seismic, and socio-political challenges associated with large-scale dam projects in sensitive areas. The potential for increased earthquake risk, severe disruption to local communities, and impacts on downstream nations underline the importance of cautious deliberation regarding such initiatives. Observers must ensure that the balance between energy needs and ecological integrity is maintained.
Original Source: www.tibetanreview.net
