Significant concerns are emerging for India and Bangladesh as China prepares to undertake a major initiative in Tibet, which could have detrimental effects

12 Janaury, Kathmandu. China has given the green light for the construction of the largest dam in the world on the Brahmaputra River, situated near the Indian border. This monumental project is expected to be the largest infrastructure endeavor globally, with an estimated cost of $137 billion, and will be several times larger than the current largest dam, the Three Gorges Dam.

Where is the dam being built ?

The construction site for the dam has been officially confirmed by the Chinese government to be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, known as the Brahmaputra in India. According to reports from Xinhua, the dam will be situated in a significant gorge within the Himalayan region, where the Brahmaputra river makes a substantial U-turn before flowing into Arunachal Pradesh and subsequently into Bangladesh, as noted by PTI.

This ambitious project is expected to harness considerable hydropower potential, but it also poses distinct engineering challenges, particularly because a segment of the Yarlung Zangbo River ascends 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) over a mere 50 kilometers (31 miles).

Experts estimate that the total cost of the dam could exceed one trillion yuan (approximately $137 billion), making it the largest single infrastructure endeavor globally, surpassing even China's own Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges Dam, currently the largest in the world, was constructed at a cost of 254.2 billion yuan ($34.83 billion) and involved the resettlement of 1.4 million individuals.The final investment for the Three Gorges Dam was more than four times the original estimate of 57 billion yuan.

Attention to the situations in India and Bangladesh.

The announcement regarding the construction of the dam has sparked apprehensions in both India and neighboring Bangladesh, given that the Brahmaputra River traverses both countries. New Delhi is particularly concerned that the dam will not only grant China the ability to regulate water flow but may also allow Beijing to inundate border regions during periods of conflict, owing to the massive scale of the infrastructure.

In 2006, India and China initiated the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) to address various matters concerning trans-border rivers, under which China commits to sharing hydrological data with India regarding the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers during flood seasons.

Recently, discussions on data sharing related to trans-border rivers took place between the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China for border issues, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing on December 18. According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, the SRs "provided positive directions for cross-border cooperation and exchanges," which included the sharing of data on trans-border rivers.

It is also noteworthy that India is constructing a dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.