Overview

• China on July 19 began work on the Motuo hydropower project in Tibet, a 60 GW, five-station cascade at an estimated cost of 1.2 trillion yuan that will triple the output of the Three Gorges Dam.
• Beijing says the run-of-the-river design will not harm downstream flows and has pledged to maintain hydrological communication with India and Bangladesh.
• India’s external affairs ministry has formally pressed China to share timely river-flow data under existing MoUs to protect downstream water rights.
• New Delhi plans to fast-track the 11.2 GW Upper Siang multipurpose dam in Arunachal Pradesh as a strategic buffer against sudden changes in river flows.
• To overcome local opposition and advance site surveys, India has launched a ₹350 crore development and livelihood programme covering 26 villages in Siang district.