Medog Dam

• Location: China is constructing the Medog Hydropower Project in Medog County, Tibet, on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
• River connection: The Yarlung Tsangpo flows from Tibet into Arunachal Pradesh, where it is known as the Siang, and then becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam.
• Scale: The project is planned at around 60,000 MW, potentially making it the world’s largest hydropower project, surpassing the Three Gorges project in installed capacity.
• Great Bend: The project is located near the dramatic Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo around Mount Namcha Barwa, where the river makes a sharp turn and descends through a deep gorge—providing enormous hydropower potential.
• Strategic concern for India: Since India is a lower-riparian country, concerns relate to downstream water security, ecological impacts, flood management and China’s ability to regulate river flows.
• Hydrological data: India has sought the resumption of hydrological data sharing by China on the Yarlung Tsangpo amid concerns over the mega-project.
• Geological risk: Recent reports have highlighted concerns regarding an active fault line near/beneath the project site, given the highly seismic Himalayan region.
• Important caution: Calling the Medog Dam a “water bomb” is an expression used by some experts/media; it should not be treated as an established scientific classification.

Prelims Trap

Yarlung Tsangpo → Tibet (China) → Siang → Arunachal Pradesh → Brahmaputra → Assam → Bangladesh

Prelims Question — English

Q. With reference to the Medog Hydropower Project, consider the following statements:

1. It is being constructed on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet.
2. The Yarlung Tsangpo enters India as the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh.
3. The project is located near the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo.
4. The Brahmaputra is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo throughout its course in India.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3 only