Archive · 8 Aug 2026
India presses China for river data amid mega dam concerns
India and China are neighboring countries that share a giant river.
The river is called the Yarlung Tsangpo in China and the Brahmaputra in India.
It starts in Tibet, flows through India, and ends in Bangladesh.
It gives water to millions of people.
China is building the biggest dam in the world on this river.
India worries the dam could change the river's flow and hurt people living downstream.
China stopped sharing information about the river's water in June 2023.
India asked China to start sharing that information again at a meeting in New Delhi.
Both countries agreed to keep peace along their shared border and keep talking to avoid misunderstandings.
India raised the water-flow data issue during border talks with China in New Delhi under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).
New Delhi reiterated the need for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers and stressed sharing details of upstream river projects.
China is constructing the world's largest hydroelectric dam in Tibet at an estimated cost of around 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion).
China has not shared hydrological data on the Yarlung Tsangpo, known as the Brahmaputra in India, since June 2023, India told lawmakers last August.
Both sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the border and continue using existing diplomatic and military channels to avoid misunderstandings.
- Who
- India, represented by the Ministry of External Affairs, and China, meeting under the WMCC framework.
- What
- India pressed China to resume sharing water-flow data and share technical details of upstream river projects amid concerns over China's construction of the world's largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river.
- When
- The talks were held in New Delhi on a Thursday, with India's statement released on Friday; China has not shared hydrological data since June 2023.
- Where
- New Delhi (border talks); Tibet (dam construction); the Yarlung Tsangpo flows from Tibet through India into Bangladesh.
- Why
- Because China's mega dam on the shared river is likely to affect the local environment and downstream countries, including India.
India
China
Mega dam on a shared river
India
India is concerned that the dam will affect the local environment and downstream countries, including India, and wants technical details of upstream river projects.
China
China is proceeding with construction of the world's largest hydroelectric dam in Tibet at an estimated cost of about 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion).
Sharing water-flow data
India
India wants China to resume sharing water-flow data and is pressing for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers.
China
China has not shared hydrological data on the river since June 2023, despite India's requests.
- Dam project
- World's largest hydroelectric dam, under construction in Tibet
- Estimated cost
- Around 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion)
- River
- Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra in India), flows from Tibet through India into Bangladesh
- Construction timeline
- About a decade to complete
- Last hydrological data shared
- June 2023, according to India's statement to lawmakers last August
- India-China border
- 3,488 km long and unmarked
- Bilateral forum
- Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC)
- Recent diplomatic contact
- PM Modi met President Xi Jinping in Tianjin last August
