China Plans World's Biggest Dam on Brahmaputra River

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China plans world's biggest dam on Brahmaputra River

New Delhi: The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) has confirmed that China is constructing a dam on its side of the Brahmputra River, reports claimed on Wednesday. In a presentation made before the Committee of Secretaries (CoS), the NRSA presented concrete evidence suggesting construction activities, movements of trucks, and excavations being carried out in and around the Zangmu site.

The development comes nearly a month after reports claimed that China has started constructing a huge dam on its side of the Brahmputra River – known as Tsangpo River in Tibet. The dam is being constructed at a place called Namcha Barwa on the eastern plateau of Tibet. It is at this point in Tibet that China is reportedly building the world's largest dam, with 26 turbines, expected to generate 40 million kilowatts per hour of hydroelectricity.

River Brahmaputra is very important for India and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra River basin in India is most generously gifted with a fabulous water wealth that accounts for nearly 30% of the total water resources and about 40% of the total hydropower potential of the country.

The documents claim that a 38 gigawatt hydropower plant is under consideration, which would be having a capacity nearly half as large as the UK's national grid. The new dam would be 1.5 times the size of Three Gorges dam – currently the world’s biggest. "This dam could save 200m tonnes of carbon each year. We should not waste the opportunity of the biggest carbon emission reduction project. For the sake of the entire world, all the water resources than can be developed should be developed."