Guwahati: Aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and positioning itself as a global leader in engineering marvels, China has commenced construction of a colossal hydropower dam in Tibet, prompting cautious observation and concern from India and Bangladesh.
Soon after Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the groundbreaking ceremony on 19 July 2025, at the Yarlung Zangbo (Tsangpo/Brahmaputra in India) River in the Medog region of the Tibet Autonomous Region, opposition voices began to emerge.
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The Chinese Communist Party-led administration in Beijing has projected the Medog dam as the world’s largest hydropower project, with an estimated investment of USD 167.8 billion and the potential to generate nearly 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
It is also expected to bring in USD 3 billion in yearly income for the Tibetan region. Prior to the Medog project, Beijing had already constructed and commissioned several smaller dams on the Tsangpo.
Following objections raised by downstream nations—primarily India and Bangladesh—Tibetans, both within and outside Tibet, began voicing their anxiety and anger over what they view as Beijing’s imperialist ventures. Tibetan Buddhists have expressed concern that such mega-dam projects threaten the region’s fragile ecosystem, disrupt the natural flow of rivers, impact cultural heritage, and jeopardize traditional livelihoods.
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Protesting Tibetans have continued their calls for genuine autonomy, demanding the right to safeguard their religious, cultural, and political identities. Thousands were reportedly detained during protests against the dam projects.
Despite growing opposition, Beijing has continued its resource extraction activities across the Tibetan plateau, including in forest and wildlife reserves. Often referred to as the “Third Pole of the Earth,” Tibet is the source of several major rivers—including the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Yangtze, and Mekong—which support over 1.5 billion people across South and Southeast Asia.
Experts warn that China’s hydroelectric activities in this seismically active zone may pose significant risks to agriculture, fisheries, water transportation, and general water security in downstream countries.
In response to international concerns, China’s Foreign Ministry defended the Medog project on 23 July, stating that it falls “fully within China’s sovereignty” and is intended to boost clean energy and address climate change.
However, exiled Tibetans in India rejected Beijing’s rationale, accusing China of using the sovereignty argument to justify its occupation of Tibet and exploitation of its natural resources. They also questioned the credibility of China’s assurances that the project poses “no major riparian impacts,” calling into question the transparency of its scientific assessments.
Tibetan Journal, a media outlet based in Dharamshala—the seat of the 14th Dalai Lama—reported on 2 August that the dam’s construction at the head of the Brahmaputra is a matter of grave concern for residents of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The outlet referred to the development as part of China’s “water war” strategy against downstream regions.
Describing the Tsangpo as central to Tibetan ecology, spirituality, and history, the publication highlighted the rise of the “Save Tsangpo-Siang-Brahmaputra” campaign in Northeast India. The campaign argues that freeing Tibet from Chinese occupation is not only crucial for Tibetans but also vital for India’s strategic interests and global environmental peace.
“Tibetans are natural custodians of rivers, forests, glaciers, minerals, and other resources of the plateau,” the article noted. “China’s damming of these sacred water bodies must be regarded as a grave injustice to humanity.”
The report further stated that both China and India are not signatories to the 1992 UNECE Water Convention (also known as the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes). As a result, India is constrained in formally challenging China under international law or demanding assured water flow from Tibet. Environmental activists warn that China’s continued exploitation of Tibetan rivers presents serious humanitarian and ecological threats to the Indian subcontinent.
The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper, editorialized on the issue on 29 July. It emphasized that transparency will be key in easing regional apprehensions. The editorial called the dam a “project of the century,” and suggested that with careful diplomacy, it could foster regional development by supplying clean energy to over 300 million people, including populations in neighboring nations like Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
Speaking from Dharamshala, an exiled Tibetan activist expressed frustration that Beijing continues to exploit Tibetan water resources. He noted that China already operates the highest number of hydropower projects globally, and that the Medog project is even more ambitious than the Three Gorges Dam.
Citing the project’s location in a seismic zone, he warned that a major earthquake could have catastrophic consequences downstream. The lack of transparency surrounding the dam’s design and absence of impact assessments only deepen fears for those living in Tibet, India, and Bangladesh.