India and China are racing to build mega-dams along major rivers that would massively affect water supplies to both countries. The source of that water is a glacier in Tibet, which supplies millions of people with water downstream - and there are high political and economic stakes.

Tibet

China is constructing a new hydropower station on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, aiming to surpass the capacity of the current largest hydropower plant in the world. India, concerned about China's control over the river, has announced plans for its own dam in Arunachal Pradesh. However, the Indian project has faced resistance from local villagers who fear the loss of their livelihoods and environmental damage. The control of water resources from the Tibetan plateau is seen as having significant implications for millions of people in India, China, and Bangladesh. While China asserts its project will not negatively impact downstream communities, local opposition in India remains strong, with no current plans for relocation of affected residents.

China and India rush to build mega-dams

This is currently the largest hydropower plant in the world in central China, but Beijing is building another that, when finished, would be three times as powerful as the current record-holder. The construction site for the Motou hydropower station is located along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, which China annexed in 1951. India, worried that China will weaponize its control of the river, has planned to build a dam of its own in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. But when workers from India's largest hydropower company moved survey equipment in at the construction site, nearby villagers vandalized the machinery and even demolished a nearby bridge. WOMAN, Construction Worker, Arunachal Pradesh, India, said, if the dam is constructed, how will we earn our livelihoods? So we will not allow the dam to be constructed. If the dam is built, the soil will be washed away. We produce our crops on this soil. The battle over who controls the flow of water from a glacier on the Tibetan plateau affects millions of people living downriver in India, China and Bangladesh. India's fears appear to be founded. A report by an Australian-based think tank concluded that control over the rivers in the Tibetan plateau would effectively give China a chokehold on India's economy. But villagers who live near the site of the Indian dam say their own country's plans would effectively destroy their way of life. If the government forcefully moves forward with this project, the existence of our community will vanish from the map, because the people will be scattered. There is no plan to relocate the people of this valley. As for China's massive project, Beijing denies there would be a negative impact for those downstream, saying it expects to start generating energy from the dam by the early to mid 2030s.

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Breakdown