Concerns over China’s proposed 60,000 MW hydropower in Medog, Tibet are influencing the design of a proposed hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district.
- The 60,000 MW dam in Medog could reduce the natural flow of water from the Brahmaputra, away from India during lean patches, or worse be used to trigger artificial floods.
India’s proposed project
- A ‘pre-feasibility report’ on the 11,000 MW project, or more than five times the size of the largest such projects in India – has been submitted to the Central Electricity Authority for appraisal in December 2022 by the National Hydropower Corporation (NHPC).
- The design of the proposed project incorporates a buffer storage of 9 billion cubic metres (or about 9 billion tonnes of water) during monsoonal flow.
- This could act as a store of water worth a year’s flow that would normally be available from the Brahmaputra or buffer against sudden releases.
- The project is primarily meant to manage flooding in the Brahmaputra, however, one cannot ignore strategic aspects and this is one way to counter any potential threats.
About Brahmaputra
- The Brahmaputra, known as Yarlung Tsangpo in China, is a 2,880 km long trans-border river that originates in the Mansarovar lake.
- The river flows 1,700 km within Tibet, 920 km in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and 260 km in Bangladesh.
- It accounts for nearly 30% of freshwater resources and 40% of India’s hydropower potential.
Concerns
- Diverting its flow could mean agricultural impacts downstream in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
- India’s hydropower projects, while potentially beneficial in controlling flooding from the Brahmaputra in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, wouldn’t necessarily serve as a strategic deterrent to China.
- China says that the entire stretch of the Yarlung Tsangpo are run-of-the-river projects [minimal storage] and is unlikely to risk international condemnation via water wars.
- A large dam in India may help control floods within India but might open fresh disputes over water sharing with Bangladesh downstream.
- The NHPC is expected to commission the 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project –the largest of its kind in terms of installed capacity in India – capable of producing 2,000 MW of power for at least four hours every day annually.
- There are other hydropower projects worth 2,880 MW under the approval and 6,500 MW in the pipeline.
(Source: The Hindu)
