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The Thirsty Dragon and Parched Tiger: China’s Plans for Brahmaputra Dam Strain Relations With India
December 4th, 2020
Via Third Pole, a report on Powerchina’s announcement it will build a mega dam could spur a dam-building race with India, with disastrous consequences for the ecology of the region: The president of Power Construction Corporation of China (Powerchina) made a big splash across the Himalayas last week by announcing its plans to develop large scale hydropower on […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Why China Needs To Divert The Brahmaputra
December 2nd, 2020
Via Claude Arpi, an article (dated but still relevant) on China’s thirst for the Brahmaputra: Several times during the last couple of weeks, I have mentioned the Chinese new plans for the diversion of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Siang/Brahmaputra) and other Tibetan rivers towards the Yellow river. My information came from a longish article posted on the […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon and Parched Tiger: China’s Tibet Dam Plan Worries Downstream India
December 2nd, 2020
Via The Asia Times, a report on China’s planned mega-dam on world’s highest altitude river: The world’s highest altitude river, cutting through the Tibetan plateau and rugged terrain along the Chinese-Indian border, carries troubled waters amid a new era of border tensions between the two Asian giants. Those tensions are set to rise with Beijing’s […]
Read more »Bangladesh A Winner in India-China Rivalry, But Water Dispute Settlement Still A Long Way Off
October 28th, 2020
Via Future Directions International, a report on Bangladesh’s efforts to capitalize on India and China’s competition for influence to help address the nation’s water issues: Despite the concerns of environmentalists and of the Indian authorities, the government of Bangladesh is considering a Chinese proposal to dredge and embank much of the Teesta River. The proposal is one of […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Amid US Criticism, China Offers Mekong Nations Access to Crucial River Data
October 23rd, 2020
Via The Diplomat, a report on China’s agreement to provide downstream nations access to crucial Mekong River data, a welcome development for downstream nations, but one that underlines China’s strategic hold over the crucial waterway: China has agreed to provide the Mekong River Commission (MRC) with year-round hydrological data, following through on a promise made by Chinese Premier […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Water is China’s Greatest Weapon and its Achilles Heel
October 19th, 2020
Via the Harvard Political Review, commentary on China’s water politics: When it comes to flood myths, China’s is not as well known as Noah’s Ark, but just as influential. Legend says that four millennia ago, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers frequently flooded, with devastating consequences for the ancient Chinese. However, salvation arrived when a distant relative […]
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