China’s Hydropower Projects Pose Serious Water Security Threats to India, Exposes Politicization of Indus Waters Treaty

New Delhi: While India continues to pressure Pakistan over water disputes, it is facing serious water insecurity itself — this time from the north, as China’s massive hydropower projects emerge as a growing threat.

According to recent reports, the northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam are at high risk due to China’s aggressive dam-building on the Brahmaputra River. The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh has termed China’s proposed 60-gigawatt dam project as “disastrous.”

Experts argue that India’s real water conflict is not with Pakistan but with China. Indian defense analyst Uttam Sinha, in a recent piece, echoed Pakistan’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, highlighting internal contradictions in India’s own stance.

China, notably not a signatory to the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention, is under no legal obligation to consult India on projects along the Brahmaputra. This lack of oversight, combined with ongoing climate change, is creating a volatile situation. Experts predict a 22% decrease in glacier melt and an increase in rainfall-induced flow — potentially leading to unpredictable and dangerous water surges.

In 2000, a dam breach in Tibet triggered a devastating flash flood in Arunachal Pradesh, underlining the real-time risks posed by China’s upstream water infrastructure. The Indian government now faces growing concern over sudden water discharges and flood threats, especially in its vulnerable northeastern regions.