China’s Lalho Dam Project

The construction of the Lalho dam raises new issues about the efficiency of the expert level mechanism between India and China.

On 30 September, China announced that it has blocked the Xiabuqu river as part of a major hydroelectric project, the Lalho hydroelectric project at Shigatse. Xiabuqu is a major tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo, the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River flowing from Tibet. The Lalho project has an investment of $4.95 billion and construction is scheduled to be completed by 2019.

It is designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and will help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland. The strategic value of the Lalho project lies also in the fact that Shigatse is only a few hours’ driving distances from the junction of Bhutan and Sikkim, and the city from which the Chinese plan to extend their railroads to Nepal.

The project, however, has raised concerns in the lower riparian states of the Brahmaputra—India, and Nepal. While insisting that the project is a run the river project, the Chinese official news agency Xinhua clarified that the construction of the project will not impact water levels in the lower Brahmaputra. Yet, in the absence of a comprehensive water treaty between China and India, the construction of this dam has raised new concerns.

Since 2013, China and India have been sharing water details through an expert-level mechanism that coordinates trans-border rivers. The construction of this dam, however, raises new issues about the efficiency of the expert level mechanism.

Lalho Dam project:

China is constructing its most expensive hydro project – the Lalho project in a tributary of the river Brahmaputra known in China as Yarlung Zangbo. The Brahmaputra, one of India’s major rivers, originates in Tibet (China) and flows into India (Arunachal Pradesh and Assam) before going into Bangladesh.

• The construction of the Lalho hydroelectric project originally began in June 2014.
• This project involves an investment of 4.95 billion yuan (USD 740 million)
• The Lalho project is planned at Xiabuqu river, a tributary of Brahmaputra, at Xigaze in China.
• Xigaze also known as Shigatse is closely located to Sikkim. From Xigaze, the Brahmaputra flows into Arunachal Pradesh.
• Lalho project will serve multiple purposes, such as irrigation, flood control, and power generation.
• The Lalho project is likely to be finished by 2019.

The tributary that was blocked:

• The Xiabuqu river, 195 km long, flows from Bainang in Tibet northwards and joins the Yarlung Zangbo near the region called Xigaze, also known as Shigatse
• This tributary was blocked for the Lalho hydel project that launched in June 2014, scheduled to be completed in 2019
• The river’s mean discharge is 25.8 cubic meters per second, less than 0.15 percent of the Brahmaputra’s mean discharge when it enters India
• Its reservoir was designed to store up to 295 cumecs and it will irrigate 30,000 hectares control floods and generate power

Geographical characters:

Hydroelectric projects could alter the geographical character of the region as the dams are being built on slopes with a gradient of as much as 60 degrees and that too on the meeting point of three of the youngest mountain systems in the world. This could bring a disaster if a major earthquake were to hit the mountains. Kedarnath disaster (2013) is a reminder of the dangers that might occur if the Himalayan River systems were to be tamed. Secondly, it will also impact the flow of silt which will be essential to the build-up of soil in the South Asian plains.

Characters of Brahmaputra River and political problems:

The Brahmaputra River system is younger. The fact that it has changed its course several times in the past 250 years is a testimony to its variable nature. For instance, in the Char area of Assam, new islands appear and disappear every few years. This makes the inhabitants of the old islands unsure of the country they belong to. The shifting of course often gives to political unrest in north-eastern states. In addition to this, if any further changes to the course of the river are made then it might increase the political problems in the northeast.

The river plays a significant role in the lives of the people in the northeast. Many tribes inhabiting the north-eastern states have built a livelihood around the course of the Brahmaputra River. For instance, the lumberjacks from Arunachal Pradesh transport the cut logs tied to their rafts through the tributaries of the Brahmaputra River

Concerns for China:

According to some experts, the Lalho project may do more harm to China than to India. It is said that the Lalho project may not reduce water flow to India in a long run. The Lalho project is situated well upstream of the “great bend” made by the river before it enters India. Larger tributaries of the river join only after the river enters India. Many other tributaries join the river in and around the great bend before the Arunachal Pradesh border. On the other hand, it will more or less dry up a long stretch of area in Tibet that is already suffering from rapid desertification. This will accentuate the problems of the herders as it will take water away from them and further accentuate the problem of desertification.

China’s Lalho Dam project: should India Worry?

• India is commissioning a study to ascertain how much the Yarlung Zangbo, actually contributes to flows in India and how much comes from the catchment area in India itself
• Many experts estimate that Tibet’s contribution is not more than 40 percent
• The river’s mean discharge is 25.8 cubic meters per second (cumecs), less than 0.15 percent of the Brahmaputra’s mean discharge when it enters India
• The reservoir was designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water
• India is concerned that if the waters are diverted, then projects on the Brahmaputra, particularly the Upper Siang and Lower Suhansri projects in Arunachal Pradesh, may get affected
• The dam may impact the flow of silt as well, which is essential to build up North Eastern Plains
• China has been maintaining that it has taken into consideration India’s concerns and allays apprehensions of restricting the flow of water, saying its dams are run-of-the-river projects not designed to hold water
• India and China have had several rounds of talks on the water issue since 2007 and Beijing has always attempted to play down New Delhi’s fears that it could use strategically positioned dams to regulate water flows into India
• India has been taking up the issue with China for the past few years. And based on the understanding reached in 2013, the Chinese side agreed to provide more flood data on the Brahmaputra
• Some experts say that the Lalho project may not reduce water flow to India in the long run, but it may add up to desertification in Tibet and Xigaze region itself
• The Lalho project is well upstream of the “great bend” made by the Brahmaputra shortly before it enters India. Other tributaries joining the Brahmaputra in and around the great bend double its water flow before the Arunachal Pradesh border. Larger tributaries join the river in India so that it carries eight times more water when it exits the country than when it enters

Run of the river projects:

Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation whereby the natural flow and elevation drop of a river are used to generate electricity. Power stations of this type are installed on rivers with a consistent and steady flow, either natural or through the use of a large reservoir at the head of the river.

Power stations on rivers with great seasonal fluctuations require a large reservoir in order to operate during the dry season, resulting in the necessity to impound and flood large tracts of land. In contrast, run-of-river projects do not require impoundment of water. Instead, some of the water is diverted from a river and sent into a pipe called a penstock. The penstock feeds the water downhill to the power station’s turbines. Due to the difference in altitude, potential energy from the water upriver is transformed into kinetic energy while it flows downriver through the penstock, giving it the speed required to spin the turbines that in turn transform this kinetic energy into electrical energy. The water leaves the generating station and is returned to the river without altering the existing flow or water levels.

Most run-of-river power plants will have a dam across the full width of the river in order to utilize all the river’s water for electricity generation. Such installations will have a reservoir behind the dam but since flooding is minimal, they can be considered “run-of-river”. Another type of run-of-river power plant is floating in the water.

Conclusion:

The project, however, has raised concerns in the lower riparian states of the Brahmaputra—India, and Nepal. While insisting that the project is a run the river project, the Chinese official news agency Xinhua clarified that the construction of the project will not impact water levels in the lower Brahmaputra. Yet, in the absence of a comprehensive water treaty between China and India, the construction of this dam has raised new concerns.