China's Picturesque Tibet Autonomous Region: News & Images

[rott]

Nice Development
But, which River? Brahmaputra?

Lmao....

 

[Dr Gupta]

You're a good competitor to Russell Peters.

Water is life if this dam affects lives in India and Bangladesh we have the right to counter it by any means but China is not that stupid do it. BTW the best thing you did was build that Yangtze dam, can you imagine what would happen if it had a hole in it?

Dam is civilian building, I believe India also dam Brahmaputra also right?

If the water is diverted it will affect people in India and Bangladesh which will be devastating

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster/

Even a strong earthquake might shake the 3 gorges dam

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-10-09/are-china-s-dams-causing-quakes

Even before Three Gorges Dam was built, the government knew of itsdangers. According to a 2012 analysis of Chinese seismic maps and dam projects by Probe International, a Canadian environmental organization, 98.7 percent of the 137 hydroelectric dams built, planned or underway in western China are located in "zones with a moderate to very high level of seismic hazard." To be fair, the question of whether or not dams are responsible for the largest earthquakes in the region (such as the 2008 Wenchuan quake that took 80,000 lives) remains controversial. But it's not an unreasonable one to ask, and it's been considered in respected journals such as Science and -- this week -- Nature. It's also been widely discussed on China's Internet -- especially after large quakes near reservoirs in western China, such as the one in Yunnan this week that destroyed 7,000 buildings and forced the evacuation of 59,000 people (the death toll currently stands at one, but is likely to rise as rescuers reach the remote area).

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

If the water is diverted it will affect people in India and Bangladesh which will be devastating

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster/

Even a strong earthquake might shake the 3 gorges dam

Are we talking about water diversion here? any earthquake in India will also affect your dams, how relevant to bring 3gorges dam into discussion?

 

[Dr Gupta]

Are we talking about water diversion here? any earthquake in India will also affect your dams, how relevant to bring 3gorges dam into discussion?

http://atimes.com/2015/10/tripartite-treaty-needed-on-sharing-brahmaputras-waters/


China’s Zangmu Hydropower Station has become fully operational. Built on the River Yarlung Tsangpo (known as Brahmaputra in India) some 140 km from Lhasa in Tibet, the US$1.52 billion hydropower project is expected to produce 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.


Zangmu hydropower station stands more than 3,300 meters above sea level

It has evoked some anxiety in India and Bangladesh, the lower riparian countries. There is concern there that China’s damming of the Yarlung Tsangpo – China plans to build several dams on this river, Zangmu being the first – will reduce water flow into India’s Northeast and Bangladesh.

Moreover, China is reportedly planning a water diversion project, which envisages diverting the waters of its southern rivers to the arid and densely populated north. This would see the Yarlung Tsangpo’s waters being diverted too.

China has said that the proposed dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo will not affect water flow into India as these are run-of-the-river projects. Moreover, the dams on the upper and middle reaches of this river will not have much impact on downstream flows.

It is only after the Yarlung Tsangpo enters India that its volume swells. It is monsoon rains and waters of tributaries like the Subanasiri that transform the Yarlung Tsangpo into the mighty Brahmaputra in India.

As for the water diversion projects, hydrological experts believe that it is not feasible given its enormous cost and technological challenges. Hence, the water diversion may not happen as planned.

Besides, as Chinese scholars point, “given the potential negative impact” that such diversion will have on “relations with its lower riparian neighbors, particularly India, it is even more unlikely that the Chinese government will seriously consider” the Grand Western Water Diversion Plan.

Chinese hydrologists maintain that India’s apprehensions over China’s damming of the Yarlung Tsangpo are excessive. This may be true. Still Beijing cannot escape responsibility for the anxiety its dam activity has generated in the Brahmaputra Valley.

It has been very opaque on projects it is planning on the Yarlung Tsangpo. Till recently, the China flatly denied allegations that a dam was under construction at Zangmu, even dismissing satellite images of such activity presented to them by Indian officials. This lack of transparency and reluctance to consult the lower riparian counties underlies Indian apprehensions vis-à-vis China.

Such a non-consultative approach is untenable with regard to Transboundary Rivers.

China appears to be shedding slowly its opacity on its plans for the Yarlung Tsangpo. In 2013, it agreed to not only allow Indian officials on field visits to monitor the flow of the river in Tibet but also to provide hydrological data during the flood season.

Meanwhile, India is steaming ahead with its own plans for damming the Brahmaputra. Around 150 mega and micro-hydel projects are being planned in the Northeast especially in Arunachal Pradesh.

These dams will “significantly change” the volume of water flow in the Brahmaputra, Parag Jyoti Saikia, who researches hydropower construction in Northeast India at the Centre for Studies on Social Sciences in Kolkata, told this writer.

Since the terrain through which the Brahmaputra runs is forested, it will have “disastrous impact on the rich bio-diversity, environment, ecology and livelihood of the people living here,” he pointed out.

Anti-dam activists point out that the Indian government has not consulted either local communities or the lower riparian country, Bangladesh. Protests against the dams are gathering momentum.

Even if India and China do not go to war over water, it could become a source of tension. Such tension could be prevented by reaching agreement on water sharing. The Brahmaputra’s three riparian states, China, India and Bangladesh need to begin talking on the issue. A tripartite treaty on sharing the Brahmaputra’s waters is urgently needed.

Dr. Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore, India who writes on South Asian political and security issues. She can be reached at sudha.ramachandran@live.in

(Copyright 2015 Asia Times Holdings Limited, a duly registered Hong Kong company. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

We need a 3 party water agreement, yes we also are building dams on our side but this might have huge environmental consequences for the region!

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

@Dr Gupta,

Meanwhile, India is steaming ahead with its own plans for damming the Brahmaputra. Around 150 mega and micro-hydel projects are being planned in the Northeast especially in Arunachal Pradesh.

So India has a clear intention to dam this river, wow 150 projects for your NE...very interesting

 

[Dr Gupta]

@Dr Gupta,



So India has a clear intention to dam this river, wow 150 projects for your NE...very interesting

These are small micro projects nothing on the scale you are building

I still think Nuclear power is a better solution as is solar energy,, these dams cause hugh environmental damage in the long run and not enough research is done prior to their building. But wait 20-30 years we will see their true impact.

Look a country like France gets 80% of it's energy via Nuclear, we should also invest in solar energy.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

These are small micro projects nothing on the scale you are building

I still think Nuclear power is a better solution as is solar energy,, these dams cause hugh environmental damage in the long run and not enough research is done prior to their building. But wait 20-30 years we will see their true impact.

Look a country like France gets 80% of it's energy via Nuclear, we should also invest in solar energy.

When human need energy, no one care about environment, earth is been massively abused after the industry revolution with over production capcity, we can't go back to live in medieval age.

 

[Dr Gupta]

When human need energy, no one care about environment, earth is been massively abused after the industry revolution with over production capcity, we can't go back to live in medieval age.

There is better ways to get energy than this, the impact it will have can be devastating and have a huge economic affect. We are selfish because we thinking of just the present but our grandchildren will be the ones who will suffer when water becomes so scarce and famines/viruses take root.

Why not go for more nuclear plants and solar? it's much more cleaner and has less impact

 

[rott]

Are we talking about water diversion here? any earthquake in India will also affect your dams, how relevant to bring 3gorges dam into discussion?

Bro, he's taking western sources. We all know the credibilities of those.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

There is better ways to get energy than this, the impact it will have can be devastating and have a huge economic affect. We are selfish because we thinking of just the present but our grandchildren will be the ones who will suffer when water becomes so scarce and famines/viruses take root.

Why not go for more nuclear plants and solar? it's much more cleaner and has less impact

I don't think Nuclear plant is not suitable for earthquake zone such as Tibet.

 

[Dr Gupta]

I don't think Nuclear plant is not suitable for earthquake zone such as Tibet.

Ideal place for Nuclear plants is near water so it tends to be more coastal, we should think outside the box and find new ways of generating energy. Maybe wind energy in Tibet is a option? in India we are lucky as we have direct heat from the sun so we are building huge solar farms to generate energy.

https://next.ft.com/content/6b781150-978c-11e5-9228-87e603d47bdc

India and France launch $1tn solar power tie-up
The International Solar Alliance aims to have 121 signatories to develop solar in tropical countries

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

Ideal place for Nuclear plants is near water so it tends to be more coastal, we should think outside the box and find new ways of generating energy. Maybe wind energy in Tibet is a option? in India we are lucky as we have direct heat from the sun so we are building huge solar farms to generate energy.

https://next.ft.com/content/6b781150-978c-11e5-9228-87e603d47bdc

India and France launch $1tn solar power tie-up
The International Solar Alliance aims to have 121 signatories to develop solar in tropical countries

we have wind farm in Xinjiang region but I don't know about Tibet

 

[Dr Gupta]

we have wind farm in Xinjiang region but I don't know about Tibet

That is remarkable indeed but we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and consume less, which is easier said than done as everyone wants washing machines, nice cars and laptops etc

You can have everything in the world but what is the point when the air you breathe is so polluted you need to wear masks? why are Chinese and Indians running to cities like London, Vancouver for a better life? because we just think of short term but never long term environment.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

That is remarkable indeed but we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and consume less, which is easier said than done as everyone wants washing machines, nice cars and laptops etc

You can have everything in the world but what is the point when the air you breathe is so polluted you need to wear masks? why are Chinese and Indians running to cities like London, Vancouver for a better life? because we just think of short term but never long term environment.

Endless of un-satisfaction is human decease, when you get rich, you wiant more and more, nothing much we can do about that, it's human nature.

 

[Dr Gupta]

Endless of un-satisfaction is human decease, when you get rich, you wiant more and more, nothing much we can do about that, it's human nature.

I thought we Indians and Chinese were different? have we lost our humble middle path culture that much? and want to become like Mcdonald man in USA??

Our culture is rich we should never loose our roots because we are not a country but a civilisation unlike USA which was founded on bloodshed.