The fight over Asia’s rivers: China and India rush to build mega-dams • FRANCE 24 English

This is currently the largest hydro power plant in the world in central China, but Beijing is building another that when finished would be three times as powerful as the current record holder. The construction site for the Moto Hydro Power Station is located along the Yarlong Tangpo River in Tibet, which China annexed in 1951. India, worried that China will weaponize its control of the river, has planned to build a dam of its own in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. But when workers from India’s largest hydro power company moved survey equipment in at the construction site, nearby villagers vandalized the machinery and even demolished a nearby bridge. If the dam is constructed, how will we earn our livelihoods? So, we will not allow the dam to be constructed. If the dam is built, the soil will be washed away. We produce our crops on this soil. The battle over who controls the flow of water from a glacier on the Tibetan plateau affects millions of people living down river in India, China, and Bangladesh. India’s fears appear to be founded. A report by an Australian-based think tank concluded that control over the rivers in the Tibetan Plateau would effectively give China a chokeold on India’s economy. But villagers who live near the site of the Indian dam say their own country’s plans would effectively destroy their way of life. If the government forcefully moves forward with this project, the existence of our community will vanish from the map because the people will be scattered. There is no plan to relocate the people of this valley. As for China’s massive project, Beijing denies there would be a negative impact for those downstream, saying it expects to start generating energy from the dam by the early to mid 2030s. Peace.

India and China are racing to build mega-dams along major rivers that would massively affect water supplies to both countries. The source of that water is a glacier in Tibet, which supplies millions of people with water downstream – and there are high political and economic stakes. Story by Monte Francis.
#China #India #river

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22 comments

  4. Saying the Brahmaputra dam would have a chokehold on the Indian economy is an exaggeration as the river flows only through the remote Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states in the North-east and do not have any effect on the states in Indian's economic heartland. Indian economy depends far more on Ganges and the peninsular rivers, all of which originate within India.

  6. Let's say China and India both start building the mega dam today, when will China expect to finish it and when will India finish it? Such important facts are not in those western media's interest. So you can imagine the purpose of such "report".

  7. China dam will not have any effect on India 😂. Most of the water flowing in brahmaputra river is from the catchment areas inside Indias territory.
    And one stark contrast u can see is.. india is a democracy hence.. you can see the push back on the dam. But chinese side has no freedom.

  12. As always, FranceTV brings out the most reliable news today! 👋👋👋👍👍👍Morphing truth for political ends is never good! In the 1940s and 1950s, Indian PM Nehru sacrificed Tibet and expressed no opposition to the Chinese annexation, not knowing that agreeing to China's annexation is in part a cession of a huge frontier along the Himalaya. Regions like Indian states of Ladakh, Arunachal, and Sikkim and regions in Bhutan and Nepal shared a long cultural and political relation with Tibet. So if India says Tibet is a part of China, China will understandably invoke history to lay claim of the frontier regions that India calls hers! This fits the idiomatic expression "digging one's grave." You can't blame China, who is taking every advantage of India's political oversight!

  16. Hh i am living in arunachal at the indo china border in india we don't care if western show wrong map of india but reality will remain same that it is India's part just go and see there it is shown in chinas map but not controlled by china

  19. This 🇮🇱🤝🏼🇮🇳 is the western hipocracy to put a Nuclear war all ready Indians are angry they will tell Russia to nuke Europe don't put this heate to Indians this is warning they will will finish you

  20. Western media outlets are now showing the India-China water dispute news with a wrong map, or perhaps the map that favours the Chinese claim, is not accidental.. it is INTENSIONAL!!! 😅

  21. Western media is trying to Best India and china because they can't digest both are being together against western dictatorship

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