'Not Immediately Worried': Assam CM On China's Dam Construction Plans On Brahmaputra

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tried to alleviate fears on China's move to construct the world's largest dam on Brahmaputra and said he does not foresee any immediate cause of worry as the river gets most of its waters from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Sarma said the exact impact of the massive dam, the construction of which began last week, is not properly known as different theories are being floated, and he hoped that the Centre must be in touch with China on the matter.

China on Saturday formally started the construction of a $167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the border with India in Arunachal Pradesh.

"I am not immediately worried because Brahmaputra is a mighty river and it is not dependent on a single source (of water)," Sarma told reporters here.

When asked about the possible downstream impact of the dam on Assam, he said it is not yet known whether it will be good or bad.

"Brahmaputra gets most of its waters from Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and the rainwater and other forms of water from our state itself," he added.

The CM further said that there are two scientific views floated regarding the dam by China.

"First -- if Brahmaputra's flow is disturbed by China, then there may be less water and consequently biodiversity will be affected. But there is also a counter view that if less water comes, it will also act as a flood cushioning. So, I don't know which one is correct," he added.

Sarma opined that the Centre is a better judge on this topic, and it will take a call on this.

"I am sure that they (Centre) must already be having a discussion with China or will have a discussion with the neighbouring country," he added.

The dam is being built at a massive gorge in the Himalayan reaches, where the Brahmaputra makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh, and then to Assam and Bangladesh.

According to reports, the size of the project would dwarf any other single infrastructure project on the planet, including China's own Three Gorges Dam, regarded as the largest in the world so far.

The mammoth dam will be built in one of the rainiest parts and the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur.

Brahmaputra flows across the Tibetan plateau, carving out the deepest canyon on Earth. The Tibetan plateau, regarded as the roof of the world, frequently experiences earthquakes as it is located over the tectonic plates.

The hydropower project, regarded as the biggest infrastructure project in the world, raised concerns in the lower riparian countries -- India and Bangladesh.

The dam, besides empowering China to control the water flow, could also enable Beijing to release large amounts of water, flooding border areas in times of hostilities.

India, too, is building a dam over the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.

On July 19, Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the start of the construction of the dam at a groundbreaking ceremony in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, locally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City.

The project will consist of five cascade hydropower stations, with a total investment estimated at around 1.2 trillion Yuan (about $167.8 billion).

According to a 2023 report, the hydropower station is expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet the annual needs of over 300 million people.

India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers, under which China provides India with hydrological information on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers during the flood seasons.

Data sharing of trans-border rivers figured in the talks between Indian and Chinese Special Representatives for the border question -- NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, respectively -- held here on Dec. 18 last year.