Chinese scientists have raised fresh concerns over the geological risks facing China's massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet
NEW DELHI — Chinese scientists have raised fresh concerns over the geological risks facing China's massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, warning that an active fault line beneath the site could threaten the structural stability of the world's largest hydropower dam, a report has said.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the warning is based on a study published last month in the Chinese-language journal Sedimentary Geology and Tethyan Geology. The research was conducted under the supervision of the state-owned China Geological Survey.
The study found that the Paizhen Fault, an active fracture in the Earth's crust in the eastern Himalayan region, runs directly beneath the area where the Medog Hydropower Station is being built in Tibet's Metog County, around 50 kilometres before the Yarlung Tsangpo enters India.
Rather than calling for the project to be abandoned, the researchers urged engineers to adopt stronger safety measures, including improving slope stability and installing retaining structures to reduce the risk of landslides, collapses and other geological hazards.
The study was carried out by geologists from Chengdu University of Technology, the Civil-Military Integration Centre of the China Geological Survey, and the Middle Yarlung Zangbo River Natural Resources Observation and Research Station.
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According to the researchers, the Paizhen Fault has remained highly active since the Ice Age and could significantly affect the structural integrity of nearby infrastructure, including dams, roads, bridges, tunnels and the reservoir area.
They said the fault has fractured surrounding rocks and altered their mechanical properties, making the foundation and structural stability of engineering projects in the area more vulnerable to damage. The scientists also noted that the Paizhen area lies within the reservoir zone of the downstream Yarlung Tsangpo hydropower station.
The study further warned that the terrain around the reservoir has a loose structure and weak cohesion, making slopes particularly vulnerable to instability after prolonged water immersion or during earthquakes and fault activity.
The researchers highlighted that the Himalayan seismic belt experiences some of the strongest and most frequent earthquakes in the region, adding that a major seismic activity zone has developed along the Yarlung Tsangpo.