"China Advances Yarlung Zangbo Mega-Dam Despite Downstream Concerns"
Yarlung Tsangpo
The Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra River, originating on the Tibetan Plateau.
Great Bend (Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon)
The world's deepest river gorge, where the Brahmaputra U-turns toward India.
The Brahmaputra is one of Asia's most strategically significant transboundary rivers. It originates on the Tibetan Plateau, where it is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo. It makes a dramatic U-turn at the Great Bend (Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon), the world's deepest river gorge, before descending into Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang or Dihang, flowing through Assam as the Brahmaputra, and entering Bangladesh as the Jamuna. Its major tributaries in India include the Dibang, Lohit, Kameng, Subansiri, Manas, and Sankosh. China is the upper-riparian state, giving it significant hydrological leverage over downstream India and Bangladesh.
No binding water-sharing treaty governs the Brahmaputra between India and China. The only operative instrument is a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) providing for limited hydrological data-sharing during the flood season. This MOU is non-binding and has been suspended by China on multiple occasions, including during the 2017 Doklam standoff. India ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997) in 2023, which codifies the 'no-harm rule' and equitable utilisation principles. China has not signed this convention, meaning it cannot be directly invoked against Beijing.
The eastern Himalayan syntaxis, the zone where the Brahmaputra makes its sharp bend, sits at the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This makes it one of the most seismically active regions on Earth. The Paizhen Fault, active since the Early Pleistocene, runs through this zone. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck nearby in 2017. This geological reality is central to India's concerns about Chinese dam construction in the region.
China's Yarlung Zangbo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project is planned at the Great Bend, where the river drops sharply in elevation, offering extraordinary hydropower potential. The project was formally launched at a groundbreaking ceremony in July 2025. Chinese analysts project an installed capacity of 60 GW and annual generation of 300 billion kilowatt-hours, more than three times the output of China's Three Gorges Dam, currently the world's largest hydropower facility. The total investment announced is 1.2 trillion Yuan, involving five power stations.
The project's design is described officially as a 'run-of-the-river' dam, but it will also include a reservoir, likely located near Mainling, upstream of Nyingchi. Water will be diverted at the top of the Great Bend into an approximately 40-km-long tunnel, whose descending force will power five 12-GW powerhouses before the water rejoins the river. …
Which of the following is/are tributary/tributaries of Brahmaputra?
1.Dibang
2.Kameng
3.Lohit
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
'China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia.' In the light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbour.
India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme.
Consider the following statements regarding India-China transboundary river arrangements:
1.The 2013 MOU between India and China provides for year-round hydrological data-sharing on the Brahmaputra.
2.India ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses in 2023.
3.China has signed but not ratified the UN Watercourses Convention.
4.The Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers is a binding adjudicatory body.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
River Name — Country/Region
1.Yarlung Tsangpo — Tibet (China)
2.Brahmaputra — India (Arunachal Pradesh and Assam)
3.Jamuna — Bangladesh
4.Siang/Dihang — Nepal
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Which of the following rivers are tributaries of the Brahmaputra?
1.Dibang
2.Kameng
3.Lohit
4.Subansiri
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Consider the following statements regarding the Yarlung Zangbo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project:
1.It is located at the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo, where the river drops sharply before entering India.
2.Its projected annual power generation exceeds that of China's Three Gorges Dam.
3.The project design involves diverting water through a tunnel of approximately 40 km in length.
4.A new state-run entity, China Yajiang Group, has been established to manage the project.
How many of the above statements are correct?
With reference to the Zangmu Dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo, consider the following statements:
1.It is located on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo, near the Great Bend.
2.Construction of the dam began in 2010.
3.It includes a 'fishway' designed to allow fish movement between upstream and downstream sections.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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