China has long identified the region to carry out hydroelectric projects to meet its energy needs. The protests have failed to prevent the plans from being implemented, despite a study warning of the risks of landslides and flash floods. Meanwhile, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 126, while freezing temperatures hamper rescue operations.
Beijing (/Agencies) – Despite frequent earthquakes, China has identified Tibet as a region for the construction of dams, while the death toll from the strong earthquake that shook Tibet yesterday has risen to 126, according to reports. Chinese media. Authorities have sent more than 14,000 rescuers to the site and say they have rescued more than 400 people so far. Thousands of homes were destroyed and operations were hampered by difficult weather conditions, with temperatures dropping to -16 degrees Celsius overnight.
Earthquakes frequently occur in Tibet, which sits on a geological fault line, but yesterday’s magnitude 7.1 quake was also felt in Nepal and parts of India, and in the hours that followed there were more than 40 aftershocks. Despite this, China plans to build a series of large dams in that region, raising concerns about the potential environmental damage that infrastructure projects could cause in a seismic zone.
Some of the main rivers in Asia are found in Tibet and, according to a researcher cited by Radio Free Asiacould generate up to 110 gigawatts of hydroelectric power. A study by International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) points out that, although until 2013 114 dams had been built or proposed to be built, today the number has risen to 193. According to the ICT, “the Chinese government has strategically hidden the details of hydroelectric expansion throughout Tibet, because the plans raise justified concerns and controls from environmental experts, local communities and downstream countries.”
Of the 193 dams considered, 80% are large or mega dams and should be capable of generating 270 gigawatts of hydroelectric power, equivalent to the energy production of Germany in 2022. Although around 60% of the dams have not yet been built, Its construction could lead to an increase in landslides and flash floods, the report continues. The proposal to divert some rivers has also been criticized because it could add fuel to the already tense relations with neighboring India.
Some experts have questioned the ICT study, which does not distinguish between dams built for hydroelectric power and other purposes, such as water supply or flood control.
Several barriers have been built in adjacent provinces such as Sichuan and Yunnan in recent years, so experts say it is only natural that Beijing will now target Tibet. But last year local people protested against the construction of a dam in Sichuan that would submerge six Tibetan Buddhist temples and, despite the complaints, the project went ahead.
Beijing’s infrastructure plans are consistent with its decision to increase energy production while reducing fossil emissions. Last month, the state news agency Xinhua announced that the government had approved the construction of the world’s largest dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, precisely in Tibet, which should generate three times the energy of the controversial Three Gorges Dam. It is still unclear when work will begin, but analysts believe Beijing is unlikely to back down.
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