The Zangmu Hydropower Station in Tibet commences mega-dam operation on Himalayan river.
China has reportedly begun churning electricity from Tibet’s mega-dam, the Zangmu Hydropower Station, which has been developed on Himalayan rivers, raising concerns from its neighbor India. The project’s first generating unit began operations on November 23, 2014 on the Yarlung Zangbo river, also known as the Brahmaputra in India.
The station, a $1.6 billion project, stands at more than 3,300 m above sea level in the major river and will be 116 m high when it is completed by 2015. Built to solve Tibet’s water shortage issues, the dam will have a total generating capacity of 510,000 kilowatts, making it the largest dam ever built on the plateau.
The Brahmaputra is one of the major Himalayan water resources for India, being the sole provider for some of the country’s most remote villages and farm-dependent northeastern states.
Since China had revealed several plans panned out for erecting dams in the area, the Indian foreign ministry had urged China to make sure that downstream states are not affected in any way by activities in upstream areas of the river. However, it was established later that the hydro-electric project does not store water and will, therefore, not adversely impact downstream areas in the country.
Photo Credits: news.xinhuanet.com
