India has prepared plans to build at least 208 hydroelectric projects in the Brahmaputra River Basin in response to China’s massive hydropower projects. All these projects will be built in 12 sub-basins, which will achieve the capacity of producing about 65,000 MW of electricity. At present this scheme is under the supervision of the Energy Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

China’s answer to the dam
According to officials, China is building a 60,000 MW capacity dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet (known as Brahmaputra in India and Jamuna in Bangladesh), which will be the world’s largest hydro project. In response to this, India plans to ensure balanced use and safety of water resources by building several small and big projects on the entire stretch of the river.

Biggest Project- Siang Upper Multipurpose Project
The largest among India’s proposed projects is the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), which will have a capacity of 11,000 MW. It is proposed to be built in Arunachal Pradesh, but has been stalled for a decade due to local opposition. In May 2025, NHPC has restarted the survey work in police security.

Importance of Brahmaputra Basin
The Brahmaputra river basin extends to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and West Bengal. The region holds 80% of India’s total untapped hydropower potential, of which Arunachal Pradesh alone has 52 gigawatts (GW) of potential.

Existing and new projects
Currently, projects with a capacity of about 4,807 MW are underway in the Brahmaputra Basin, while projects of 2,000 MW are under construction. The new scheme includes large hydro projects as well as pumped hydro storage and small (<25 MW) projects.

China’s dam called ‘water bomb’
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had said that China’s dam is being built very close to the state border and it can prove to be a threat like a ‘water bomb’. He warned that ‘this could become an existential crisis for our tribes and livelihoods.’ The Foreign Ministry has said that India is keeping a close eye on China’s activities. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had formally raised this issue during his visit to Beijing in July.

China has started constructing a huge dam on the Brahmaputra River in South-East Tibet near the border of India. This is the same project that was approved in December 2024. Now China has also laid its foundation stone. Chinese Prime Minister Lee Kiang participated in the foundation stone program of this dam project. The program took place in the Ningchi region of Tibet, which is very close to the border of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chief Minister of Arunachal expressed concern

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had warned a few days ago that China is making ‘water bomb’ on the Brahmaputra river. He said that this project could become a serious threat to India’s security and existence.

China will spend $ 167 billion

China is going to spend around $ 167 billion on this project. It includes five hydropower stations. It is being told that it will produce so much electricity as it is more than the three gorges dam built on the Yangtji River.

China has linked this project to the development of Tibet region and becoming carbon neutral. According to government media, this will also meet the local power needs of Tibet.

India had already raised objection

India had expressed concern about this project in January this year. The Ministry of External Affairs had urged China to ensure that there is no negative impact in the low -lying areas of Brahmaputra. In response, China claimed that this project is safe and no one would be harmed.

What will be the effect on India?

The formation of this dam may affect the northeastern states of India, such as Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. If China stops water or its flow changes, then there may be problems like floods or droughts in the northeastern states of India.

Bangladesh can also be affected

This river leaves Tibet to India and then to Bangladesh. In such a situation, this project can also affect Bangladesh. At the same time, Chief Minister Khandu said that China has not signed any international water treaty so far. In such a situation, it is difficult to trust him. He warned that no one knows what China can do.

Also read-

Watch: A fierce fire in the plane of delta airlines as soon as he took off, emergency landing made, the dreaded video surfaced

Brahmaputra river water: The nervousness in Pakistan is clearly visible due to India’s decision to partially suspend the Indus Water Treaty. Pakistan is constantly making inflammatory statements about India and now it has dragged China’s name and claimed that if India retreats from the Indus Treaty, China can stop the flow of Brahmaputra river in India.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has rejected this threat of Pakistan with facts. Posting on the social media platform X, he made it clear that the dependence of the Brahmaputra River is not on China, but on the monsoon rain and tributaries of India. According to Sarma, China contributes only 30 to 35 percent to the total water flow of Brahmaputra, which comes mainly from the melting of the glacier and limited rainfall.

Brahmaputra: River becomes stronger in India
Sarma told that Brahmaputra is a river that becomes more powerful after entering India. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya receive heavy monsoon rainfall which provides water to the river. Apart from this, tributaries like Subansiri, Lohit, Kameng, Manas, Dhansiri, Jia-Bharalai, Kopili, Krishnai, Digaru and Kulasi offer water to Brahmaputra. While its flow on Tuting from the China border is 2,000 to 3,000 cubic meters/second, in areas like Guwahati it reaches 15,000 to 20,000 cubic meters/second at the time of monsoon.

Warn to Pakistan, know the truth before spreading fear
Sarma clearly said that Brahmaputra is an Indian, rain-nutrition river system which is not dependent on any one country. Even if China limits the water, India will not suffer a big loss from it, but it can reduce the severe floods of Assam which displaces millions of people every year. Pakistan, which took unfair advantage of the Indus Water Treaty for 74 years, is now nervous with India’s sovereignty.

Brahmaputra: Identification of India’s civilization and power
In the end, Sarma reminded Pakistan that the Brahmaputra River is not based on any one source, but it is nurtured by the geography, monsoon and cultural power of India. In such a situation, Pakistan’s attempt to spread fear is meaningless and India is now able to make independent and sovereign decisions on its water resources.