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Mahesh

24/01/23 08:39 AM IST

China builds new dam in Tibet that could affect flows downstream

In News
  • China is building a new dam in Tibet on a tributary of the Ganga, close to the tri-junction of its borders with India and Nepal, that could be used to control the flow of water downstream.
About the Dam
  • The Mabja Zangbo River flows into Nepal’s Ghaghara or the Karnali River before it joins the Ganga River in India.
  • The new dam is located around 16 km north of the tri-junction and is opposite the Kalapani area of Uttarakhand.
  • The dam is on the Mabja Zangbo river, a tributary of the Ganga.
  • Construction activity on the dam has been observed on the northern side of the river in Burang county, Tibet since May 2021.
  • The images clearly depict the obstruction of the river’s path, the formation of a reservoir and an embankment-type dam.
  • An airport is being constructed nearby as well.
Issues
  • China can use this dam to not only divert but also store water which could lead to a scarcity in the regions dependent on the Mabja Zangbo river and also lead to lower water levels in rivers such as the Ghaghara and the Karnali in Nepal.
  • Dams close to the border could be used by China to strengthen its claim on the disputed areas in the region.
Brahmaputra river
  • The Yarlung Tsangpo is one of the world’s largest transnational river systems.
  • Originating in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwest China, it flows 2,900 kilometers across southern Tibet via the Himalayas, entering India, where it is called the Brahmaputra, through Assam and Arunachal Pradesh (which China claims as South Tibet).
  • Many of the river’s tributaries begin in China, while others start in Bhutan.
  • The Brahmaputra is the most important of the rivers that transverse the Sino-Indian border.
  • For both India and China, two of the world’s most populous countries, the Brahmaputra is essential to their socioeconomic development.
  • The river accounts for nearly 30 percent of India’s freshwater resources and 40 percent of its total hydropower potential.
Source- Hindustan Times

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