Water Management Challenges on the Tibetan Plateau

 

Organized by the French Senate’s International Information Group on Tibet, the conference held on 3 December 2024 focused on water management on the Tibetan Plateau. The event brought together three speakers: Palmo Tenzin, researcher and advocacy officer for the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) in Germany; Dechen Palmo, environmental researcher at the Tibet Policy Institute in India and at the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile; and Tenzin Choekyi, researcher at the NGO Tibet Watch. This article provides a summary of the conference.

 

Although Tibet is often regarded as a Chinese province, it is in fact a country annexed by China in 1950. Since then, China has pursued a large-scale policy aimed at erasing Tibetan identity through various means, including the destruction of monasteries, the placement of Tibetan children in boarding schools to learn Mandarin, and the appropriation of natural resources.

 

A true water reservoir for Southeast Asia, Tibet is often referred to as the « Third Pole » and plays a strategic role in the region’s hydrological balance. An estimated 1.8 billion people depend on Tibetan water resources. Yet Tibet is among the regions most vulnerable to climate change, and China’s extensive dam-building program risks having severe consequences for the entire region in the years ahead.

 

Tibet Facing the Threats of Climate Change

Often called the « Water Tower of Asia, » Tibet is the source of Asia’s eight major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Mekong, and Indus.

 

 

These rivers are fed by Himalayan glaciers, which have been melting at an alarming rate for several years. Temperatures in Tibet are rising two to four times faster than the global average, dramatically accelerating glacier melt. It is estimated that 75% of these glaciers could disappear by 2100.

 

While these glaciers provide water for consumption and agriculture to 1.8 billion people, their rapid melting is causing unprecedented climate-related disasters, including sudden floods and severe droughts, even during the rainy season.

 

This vulnerability is further exacerbated by China’s intensive development of hydropower dams and exploitation of Tibet’s water resources.

 

The Multiple Consequences of China’s Dam Construction in Tibet

The report « Chinese Hydropower: Damning Tibet’s Culture, Community and Environment« , published by the International Campaign for Tibet on 4 December 2024, provides a comprehensive overview of China’s dam-building activities in Tibet.

 

Since 2000, China has launched the construction of 193 hydropower dams across the Tibetan Plateau. These dams either store water in reservoirs for later release or divert water through turbines. According to the report, dam development has never been so extensive in terms of scale, scope, and speed.

 

Indeed, 80% of the projects are mega-dams, while more than half remain either at the proposal stage (38%) or under preparation (21%). If all 193 dams become operational, Tibet would possess a hydropower capacity exceeding 270 GW, equivalent to Germany’s entire electricity production in 2022.

 

 

The costs associated with these dams are extremely high, yet the Chinese government often chooses to ignore or conceal them.

 

From an environmental perspective, these infrastructures are highly vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides, and floods, while simultaneously increasing the likelihood of such disasters. Several earthquakes have already destroyed hydropower facilities, causing fatalities and irreversible damage to ecosystems and biodiversity.

 

Furthermore, dams increase human pressure and methane emissions in fragile and isolated environments. They degrade water quality and flow, disrupt aquatic life, damage soils, and block downstream nutrient transport.

 

From a human perspective, dam construction forces many Tibetans from their homes and ancestral lands. Studies indicate that 121,651 people have already been displaced since 2000, and the ICT report estimates that 1.2 million people could be displaced if all 193 dams are completed. Many religious sites would also be abandoned or destroyed to make way for these projects.

 

 

Although Tibet possesses extraordinary hydropower potential, Tibetans have no meaningful say in how their resources are used. Decisions regarding energy exploitation and the distribution of costs and benefits are made by leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chinese energy companies.

 

In reality, the exploitation of Tibetan water resources primarily benefits major Chinese metropolitan areas while imposing disproportionate and irreversible costs on Tibetans and their environment.

 

Tibet’s Water Resources: A Major Geopolitical and Strategic Issue for China

The Chinese government’s long-term objective is to transform Tibet into a major energy exporter, supplying not only central and eastern China but also Southeast Asia.

 

By controlling Tibet’s rivers, China positions itself as a global leader in hydropower development, strengthening both its regional and international influence. While China’s hydropower strategy is central to its industrial ambitions, it also threatens the food security of Southeast Asian nations.

 

 

The Mekong River illustrates the impact of these policies. This vital river supplies water to approximately 60 million people, yet the eleven dams built along its course by China have significantly reduced downstream water levels.

 

The consequences are severe and long-lasting: recurring droughts, even during the rainy season, declining fisheries and aquaculture production, and growing dependence of Mekong countries on Chinese decisions.

 

According to Dechen Palmo, Southeast Asian nations currently depend largely on China’s goodwill regarding water access. However, as conditions deteriorate, they may eventually be forced to unite and confront this unequal balance of power. Failure to address the issue could have serious implications for regional stability.

 

 

Unprecedented Tibetan Mobilization to Protect Their Existence and Resources

Since February 2024, demonstrations have taken place in Tibet against the planned Kamtok Dam project in Sichuan Province.

 

This mega-project would displace more than 4,000 Tibetans and lead to the destruction of six monasteries.

 

Since the 2008 Tibetan uprisings, which were harshly suppressed, and the 159 self-immolations that followed, public protests in Tibet have been extremely rare. The current demonstrations therefore represent a significant act of resistance against the Chinese government.

 

Once again, protesters faced severe repression. Videos showed around twenty Tibetans, including elderly people and Buddhist monks, kneeling before security forces and pleading for the dam project to be halted. Many were arrested, and some were reportedly beaten on suspicion of organizing the protests.

 

Military reinforcements were subsequently deployed, and no further images of the affected Tibetans have been released.

 

While Tibetan exiles continue working to raise international awareness, many question the effectiveness of these efforts. Despite years of advocacy, China continues its construction projects unabated.

 

Legal mechanisms have often protected Chinese state enterprises rather than Tibetan communities. Arbitrary arrests continue, and evidence documenting environmental exploitation and human rights violations is routinely censored online and on social media.

 

If these dams are ultimately completed, millions of people in Tibet and across China could face severe consequences in the coming decades. Tibetans will be the first victims, but mainland Chinese populations will also be affected.

 

 

Is Cooperation Possible?

Despite these challenges, and although China remains reluctant to embrace transboundary governance, opportunities for cooperation do exist.

 

The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach could facilitate a more equitable sharing of Tibetan water resources among Southeast Asian countries. According to the Global Water Partnership, IWRM is:

 

« A process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources, in order to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. » [1]

 

This model has already demonstrated its effectiveness through the management of the Niger River, which crosses nine West African countries and stretches more than 4,200 kilometers.

 

Since 1964, the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) has brought together the countries dependent on the river, coordinating water policies to prevent conflict and promote socio-economic development. Its projects have also strengthened regional cooperation on drought management, drinking water access, and ecosystem preservation.

 

The challenges facing the NBA closely resemble those confronting Southeast Asian nations today. The cooperative model developed in West Africa could therefore serve as an example for establishing genuine transboundary water governance between China and the countries that depend on rivers originating in Tibet.

 

Recommendations from the Speakers

• Tibetans must be consulted regarding development projects, and their rights must be protected.

 

• Renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind power, should be prioritized because they do not generate the environmental, climatic, and social costs associated with hydropower.

 

• China should sign and adhere to the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses in order to guarantee the principles of equitable and reasonable use and the obligation not to cause harm.

 

• China should engage more actively in multilateral forums on transboundary water governance and sign agreements on water sharing and scientific data exchange.

 

• France and Europe should support international organizations capable of serving as platforms for negotiation and dialogue.

 

• France and Europe should maintain pressure on China and draw greater international attention to the harmful consequences of these dam projects.

 

Global Water Partnership (GWP), Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Integrated Water Resources Management, TAC Background Papers No. 4, 2000, 65 pp., available at:

https://www.gwp.org/globalassets/global/toolbox/publications/background-papers/04-integrated-water-resources-management-2000-french.pdf