Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has warned that China’s massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river near the Indian border could prove to be a “ticking water bomb,” calling it a greater threat than even the military challenge posed by Beijing.
Describing the under-construction Yarlung Tsangpo dam as an “existential threat” to the communities and ecology of the Northeast, Khandu said the project, if weaponised, could wipe out entire tribal populations in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Setting aside the military threat from China, it seems to me that this is a far bigger issue than anything else. It is going to cause an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods. It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of 'water bomb',” Khandu said.
The dam, which is slated to become the world’s largest hydropower facility with a generation capacity of 60,000 MW, is being built at the Great Bend of the river just before it enters India as the Siang and later becomes the Brahmaputra. Reports suggest that Beijing cleared the USD 137 billion project in 2024.
Khandu said India is hamstrung because China is not a signatory to any international water-sharing treaty. “Had China signed the international water treaty, there would have been no problem because it would be mandatory to release a certain amount of water downstream for the basin, for aquatic and marine life,” he said.
He added, “But China is not a signatory, and that is the problem… Suppose the dam is built and they suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed. In particular, the Adi tribe and similar groups… would see all their property, land, and especially human life, suffer devastating effects.”
To counter the threat, Khandu said the Arunachal Pradesh government, in consultation with the Centre, has conceived the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. The aim is to build a robust water security and defence mechanism that could regulate floods and mitigate abrupt water surges.
“I believe China is either about to start or has already started work on their side. But they do not share any information. In the long run, if the dam is completed, our Siang and Brahmaputra rivers could dry up considerably,” he said.
Also read: China’s mega dam a 'water bomb' for India, Bangladesh
As a part of its strategy, the state government is holding meetings with tribal communities likely to be affected. “I am going to arrange a meeting very soon to raise further awareness about this issue,” he added.
When asked what the Centre could do to prevent the construction of the dam, Khandu said, “Who will make China understand? Since we cannot make China see reason, it is better that we focus on our own defence mechanisms and preparations. That is what we are fully engaged in at the moment.”
The massive Chinese dam project is being developed in a deep Himalayan gorge, where the Yarlung Tsangpo river makes a dramatic U-turn before entering Indian territory.
Push for Bharat Ratna for the Dalai Lama
Separately, the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister said the Dalai Lama should be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. He said he would write to the Centre urging India’s highest civilian award be conferred upon the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Calling the Dalai Lama the greatest modern proponent of the Nalanda school of Buddhism, Khandu emphasised that his teachings and philosophy had spread Tibetan Buddhism across the Himalayan belt, from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
He added that China had no say in the spiritual succession of the Dalai Lama, stating, “Beijing has no locus standi in the selection of the next Dalai Lama since Tibetan Buddhism is not even practised in mainland China unlike in Tibet and the Himalayan regions of India.”
“Way back in the 8th century, from the Nalanda University, many gurus went to Tibet. At that time, there used to be a Bon religion in Tibet. By combining the Bon religion and Buddhism, the concept of Tibetan Buddhism emerged. So Buddhism spread throughout Tibet,” Khandu said.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 following China’s crackdown and has since lived in exile in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.a
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