Archive · 31 Aug 2026
China Rejects Claims Tibet Hydropower Projects Triggered Nepal Floods
A huge flash flood and mudslide struck parts of Nepal and Tibet.
Many people died, and thousands were still missing.
Some people blamed China’s hydropower projects in Tibet for helping cause the disaster.
China rejected that claim and called it speculation without facts.
China said a high-altitude glacier in Nepal collapsed and triggered the mudslide.
Nepal and Tibet reported separate casualty figures for their affected areas.
China is also building a very large dam on the Brahmaputra River.
Some Chinese geologists have warned that the dam is near an active fault line, while China says it is following high industrial safety standards.
China called claims linking its Tibet hydropower projects to Nepal’s August 26 floods “malicious speculation” without factual basis.
Chinese officials said experts attributed the mudslide to a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal.
Nepal reported 903 deaths and 4,247 missing people, while Tibet reported 16 deaths and 546 missing at Gyirong Port.
The floods damaged homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure across northern and central Nepal.
Criticism also targeted China’s $167.8 billion Brahmaputra dam, which geologists said is being built over an active fault line.
- Who
- The governments of China and Nepal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, disaster victims, officials and rescue teams.
- What
- China rejected claims that its hydropower projects in Tibet caused or contributed to Nepal’s August 26 flash-flood disaster.
- When
- The disaster occurred on August 26; China issued its rejection on Monday, while search, rescue and relief operations continued.
- Where
- Northern and central Nepal, and Gyirong Port on the Tibet-Nepal border.
- Why
- China said assessments by experts and official institutions attributed the mudslide to the collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal.
Critics of China’s Hydropower Projects
China’s Position
Cause of the floods
Critics of China’s Hydropower Projects
Critics linked the Nepal flash floods to China’s large hydropower projects in Tibet.
China’s Position
China said the claims had no factual basis and that a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal triggered the mudslide.
Dam safety
Critics of China’s Hydropower Projects
Chinese geologists raised concerns that the Brahmaputra dam is being built over an active fault line, posing potential risks.
China’s Position
China said it is constructing the dam according to the highest industrial standards.
Casualty reporting
Critics of China’s Hydropower Projects
Critics accused China of understating the number of people killed and missing in the disaster.
China’s Position
China said it has been open, transparent and timely in releasing information while search, rescue and relief operations continue.
- Nepal death toll
- 903 people, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
- People missing in Nepal
- 4,247 people remained missing.
- Tibet death toll
- 16 people had died in the flash flood at Gyirong Port, according to Tibetan officials.
- People missing in Tibet
- 546 people remained missing, including 49 Indians.
- Cause cited by China
- The collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal triggered the mudslide.
- Brahmaputra dam cost
- The project has been valued at $167.8 billion.
- Projected electricity generation
- More than 300 billion kilowatt-hours annually, according to the reports.
