Engineers' forum warns of Tibet dam risks after earthquake

Guwahati: Following a powerful earthquake in Tibet, which killed over 125 people and injured several others, the All Assam Engineers’ Association (AAEA) has expressed concerns over the potential risks posed by China’s massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Zangbo River.

The forum warned that a collapse of the dam, particularly during a high-intensity tremor, could cause severe damage in the Brahmaputra valley.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale, struck the Tibetan plateau on January 7, 2025. It also affected areas in Nepal, Bhutan, and eastern India, destroying over 3,500 homes and displacing nearly 30,000 people.

The epicenter was located about 80 kilometers from the base of Mount Everest. The internet service is heavily restricted in Tibet, so the full extent of the damage may not be clear for some time.

In a statement, the AAEA called on the Indian government to take the matter seriously, particularly in light of China’s ongoing construction of a large dam upstream of the Brahmaputra.

The project, which is set to be one of the world’s largest hydropower plants with a capacity to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, has raised concerns about its potential impact on downstream areas.

AAEA officials, including President Er Kailash Sarma, Working President Er Nava J Thakuria, and Secretary Er Inamul Hye, urged New Delhi to address the issue with Beijing, as any significant earthquake near the dam could cause widespread devastation in the lower riparian areas of eastern India and Bangladesh.

The engineers emphasized that while China insists the dam would not affect downstream regions, a major earthquake in the vicinity could have catastrophic consequences for the Brahmaputra river basin.