Why in news? China is constructing a dam on the Mabja Zangbo river in Tibet, close to the tri-junction of India –Nepal and China

Highlights

• The dam is around 16 km north of the tri-junction and is opposite the Kalapani area of Uttarakhand
• Project will raise concerns regarding China’s future control on water in the region and also the possibility of a military establishment by China near the tri-junction and strengthen its claim on the disputed areas in the region.
• China could use this dam to divert and also store water that could lead to a scarcity in the regions dependent on the Mabja Zangbo river
• The project also lead to lower water levels in rivers such as the Ghaghara and the Karnali in Nepal.
• China announced that it would construct a massive dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo to generate up to 70 GW of power, the world’s largest hydropower plant in terms of installed capacity.
• This was among several other hydropower projects announced by China to generate clean energy and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

About Mabja Zangbo

• It is a river in Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
• Originating from Kangrinboq (Mount Kailash) it further joins River Ghaghara (Karnali) in Nepal and eventually flows into Ganga in India.
• It is situated on the tri-junction on Nepal’s border with India and China