BEIJINGcTypeface:> China has approved the construction of what will be the world’s largest hydropower dam, stoking concerns about displacement of communities in Tibet and environmental impacts downstream in India and Bangladesh.
The dam, which will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, could generate three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world’s largest hydropower plant.
Chinese state media has described the development as “a safe project that prioritises ecological protection”, saying it will boost local prosperity and contribute to Beijing’s climate neutrality goals.
Human rights groups and experts, however, have raised concerns about the development’s knock-on effects.
Among them are fears that the construction of the dam - first announced in late-2020 - could displace local communities, as well as significantly alter the natural landscape and damage local ecosystems, which are among the richest and most diverse on the Tibetan Plateau.
China has built several dams in Tibetan areas - a contentious subject in a region tightly controlled by Beijing ever since it was annexed in the 1950s. (Agencies)
