China s New Dam Project Could Dwarf the Three Gorges Dam
China s new dam project is going to be a massive engineering marvel over a politically important river. Yarlung Tsangpo River near a Tibetan village loonger/iStock
Plans for a series of huge dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (the upper part of the river which becomes the Brahmaputra in India) have recently been announced by China. Built as part of China s hopes to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, the dams could potentially dwarf the huge Three-Gorges Dam.
However, the river in question is important for several countries along its course and supports some of the most important ecosystems in Asia. Realizing this ambitious, and some might say controversial, project is going to require some very savvy diplomacy, and careful planning indeed.