China’s Brahmaputra dam project

China’s government is planning to build a “super dam” on a section of the Brahmaputra River, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo, raising concerns over its potential downstream impact in India and Bangladesh


Medog project
Proposed Chinese dam could generate up to 60 gigawatts* of electricity, nearly triple that of Three Gorges Dam in central China – world’s biggest

Siang River: India could respond by building 10GW dam in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian state largely claimed by China as “South Tibet”

Completed dam 
Under construction
Planned


CHINA
Great Bend
Zangmu dam
510MW capacity
Yarlung Tsangpo
TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION
BHUTAN
Disputed border
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 
INDIA
Guwahati
Brahmaputra River
50km 30 miles
MYANMAR


Zangmu was first hydropower project on China’s Brahmaputra to become operational, in 2014


CHINA
TIBET
Brahmaputra
Detail map
INDIA 
BANGLADESH
500km 300 miles


*One gigawatt (GW) = 1,000 megawatts (MW)


Sources: ArcGIS, Reuters, Voice of America 
Picture: Twitter
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