Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dams up and running on the Tibetan plateau and a further 76 in the pipeline. One particu-
larly sensitive hydroelectric project has been draining water from sacred Yamdrok-tso for
years now.
Plans to construct a so-called 'super-dam' (which could generate twice as much electri-
city as the Three Gorges Dam) on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River) in the remote
southeast of Tibet still seem to be on the table, and have the Indians and Bangladeshis
downstream deeply concerned. Five dams are currently under construction on the Yarlung
Tsangpo further upstream near Gyatsa.
The Future
In the long term, climate change is expected to affect Tibet as much as the earth's low-ly-
ing regions. The rate of temperature rise in Tibet is around double the average global level
and over the last 30 years Tibet's glaciers have shrunk by 15% - around 8000 sq km.
Chinese scientists believe that 40% of the plateau's glaciers could disappear by 2050 if
current trends hold. Considering that the Tibetan plateau is the source of Asia's greatest
rivers, this is of profound importance to China and the Indian subcontinent.
The results of glacial melting are likely to include initial flooding and erosion, followed
by a long-term drought that may turn Tibet into a desert wasteland and the rest of Asia into
a region desperately searching for new supplies of water.
For more on environmental issues in Tibet, visit Tibet Environmental Watch at
