The world’s largest dam project, being built by China near the Arunachal Pradesh border, poses a bigger threat than any military threat — it will be a ticking “water bomb” and an existential danger, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said. Speaking to reporters, Khandu said the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, the Tibetan name for Brahmaputra, is a matter of grave concern as China is not a signatory to the international water treaty that could have forced it to abide by international norms. “The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do,” said Khandu in the interview. The world’s largest dam project, being built by China near the Arunachal Pradesh border, poses a bigger threat than any military threat — it will be a ticking “water bomb” and an existential danger, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said.
Speaking to reporters, Khandu said the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, the Tibetan name for Brahmaputra, is a matter of grave concern as China is not a signatory to the international water treaty that could have forced it to abide by international norms. “The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do,” said Khandu in the interview. “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’,” he said. The dam project, known as Yarlung Tsangpo dam, was announced after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the border region in 2021.
According to reports, China approved the construction of the USD 137 billion, five-year project in 2024. It is projected to produce 60,000 MW of power, making it the world’s largest hydropower dam. “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’,” he said. The dam project, known as Yarlung Tsangpo dam, was announced after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the border region in 2021. According to reports, China approved the construction of the USD 137 billion, five-year project in 2024. It is projected to produce 60,000 MW of power, making it the world’s largest hydropower dam.
