Context: Recently, India plans to construct the country’s second-largest dam at Yingkiong in Arunachal Pradesh to counter China’s ambitious water diversion scheme of the Brahmaputra River.

• Note: Of the 2,880km Length Of The River Brahmaputra, 1,625km Is In Tibet, 918km In India, And 337km In Bangladesh. Of The Total Catchment Area Of 580,000 Sq. Km, 50% Lies In Tibet, 34% In India, And The Balance In Bangladesh And Bhutan.

China’s plans for the Brahmaputra River

• China’s 14th five-year plan has proposed building a massive dam over the Brahmaputra river, known in China as the Yarlung Tsangpo.

Why is India apprehensive of China’s dams on the Brahmaputra River?

• Firstly, the dams built by China are large enough to be turned into storage dams, which will allow it to manipulate the water resources freely for the purpose of flood control or irrigation. In such a scenario, China can potentially deprive India of water during dry seasons. 
• Secondly, India is also apprehensive about the release of water during the monsoons, which can inundate the already flooded Brahmaputra. 
• However, Whatever flow Of Brahmaputra river happens in India, a majority of it comes from the rainfall that happens in the Indian Region. So the water that China intends to use will not have a major impact on the river on the Indian side.

What are India’s plans to counter the Chinese water diversion scheme of the Brahmaputra River?

• India has planned to construct the country’s second-largest dam at Yingkiong in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The dam is part of the proposed Upper Siang multipurpose storage project that will also generate hydropower.
• The dam will be able to store around 10 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water.

Note: By storage, the Indira Sagar Dam is the largest in India at 12.2 BCM.

Significance of this dam

• India’s plan involves releasing water from the dam to maintain water security in case China builds structures to divert water. Also, in the case of China releasing water from its upper reaches, such a dam will also help in storing water to prevent floods.
• The total Hydropower generation potential of India’s North-Eastern States, and Bhutan, is about 58 Gigawatt (GW). Of This, Arunachal alone accounts For 50.328GW, the highest in India.
• Water in the lean season in the Brahmaputra comes from melting snow in the mountains on the Tibetan Plateau. India’s plan involves releasing water from the dam to maintain Water Security.
• In case China builds structures to Divert Water.  Also, In the case of China releasing water from its upper reaches, Such a dam will also help in storing water to prevent floods.