‘Environmental risk posed by China’s Medog Dam project’
The office of Tibet in Geneva has flagged the significant risks posed by the planned construction of the China’s Medog (Metok) Dam on Tibet’s Yarlung Tsangpo River–Brahmaputra in India–during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
According to a report published by Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Phuntsok Tobgyal, UN Advocacy Officer at the Office of Tibet in Geneva, in his address during the session recently highlighted that the dam project seriously threatens the environment, people, and regional stability while emphasising that such large-scale infrastructure development would severely damage Tibet’s fragile ecosystem and jeopardise water security for millions across South Asia.
China’s proposed mega dam at the Great Bend region of the Medog county in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) would be the world’s largest hydroelectric project, surpassing even China’s Three Gorges Dam, which is currently the largest dam in the world. The Yarlung Tsangpo, originating from the Tibetan Plateau, flows into India as the Brahmaputra river.
The report of the office of Tibet in Geneva, stated that Tibet, often referred to as the “Third Pole” of the world, plays a critical role in global environmental stability. “The construction of the dam threatens this balance through extensive deforestation, increased seismic risks, and disruptions to glacier melt patterns—all of which could accelerate climate change. The project may also contribute to extreme weather events, altered monsoon patterns, and worsen global environmental challenges,” it said.
“Tibetans inside Tibet will experience the most severe impacts of this project, including habitat destruction, desertification, and the collapse of traditional agriculture. These impacts threaten Tibetan livelihoods, increase food insecurity, and could result in population displacement, further marginalising the Tibetan people in their homeland,” the report states.
Phuntsok Tobgyal urged the international community to prioritise environmental sustainability over short-term economic interests. He called for transparent, cooperative action among nations to prevent irreversible ecological damage. “Addressing the climate crisis and protecting vulnerable ecosystems require global solidarity and the projects that endanger both people and the environment must be stopped and withdrawn,” he said.
