Beijing begins construction of controversial mega-dam

Construction of a controversial mega-dam on a river running through Tibet and India has begun, Chinese state media reported Saturday, with Premier Li Qiang attending the groundbreaking ceremony. In December, China announced the project on the river—known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and the Brahmaputra in India—linking it to Beijing's carbon neutrality goals and economic objectives in the Tibet region.

Once built, the dam will surpass the record-breaking Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in central China and will have a potentially significant impact on millions of people living downstream in India and Bangladesh.

India said in January that it had expressed concerns about the project to China and that it would "monitor the situation and take necessary measures to protect its interests."

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs had then said that China had been asked to ensure that the interests of states downstream of the Brahmaputra were not harmed by activities in upstream regions. In December, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that the project would have no "negative impact" downstream and promised to "maintain communication with riparian countries."

The project involves the construction of five hydroelectric power plants, with a total investment estimated at around $167.1 billion – or about 143.6 billion euros – Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. "The electricity generated will mainly be supplied to other regions for consumption, while also meeting local electricity needs in Tibet," the agency added.

In addition to downstream concerns, environmentalists have also warned of the irreversible impact of these megaprojects on the ecologically sensitive Tibetan Plateau. India and China, neighbors and rival Asian powers, share thousands of kilometers of disputed borders, where tens of thousands of troops are stationed on either side.