China’s mega dam on Brahmaputra lies on active fault line, could affect its stability: Report
Construction began last year on what is described as the world's largest hydropower project, designed to generate around 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, about three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam.
- Jul 10, 2026,
- Updated Jul 10, 2026 4:13 PM IST
China's dam over Brahmaputra lies on a natural fault, with Chinese government-backed geologists warning that the Paizhen Fault runs through the site of the hydropower project being built on Tibet's Yarlung Tsangpo River. The study says the active fault could affect the structural stability of the dam and related infrastructure, renewing concerns over both the safety of the project and its downstream implications for India and Bangladesh.
The findings, reported by the South China Morning Post, come at a time when Beijing's dam project has already become a geopolitical flashpoint. Construction began last year on what is described as the world's largest hydropower project, designed to generate around 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, about three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam.
The Yarlung Tsangpo becomes the Brahmaputra after entering Arunachal Pradesh, flows through Assam, and then enters Bangladesh as the Jamuna River.
For India, the issue extends beyond engineering concerns. The Brahmaputra is one of the country's most important river systems, supporting agriculture, drinking water supplies, fisheries, hydropower generation and livelihoods across the Northeast. India has repeatedly expressed concern over China's upstream activities on the river, citing possible risks to water security, ecology and downstream communities.
According to a paper published last month in the Chinese-language journal Sedimentary Geology and Tethyan Geology, supervised by the state-owned China Geological Survey, the study was carried out by researchers 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.
DON'T MISS | China defends Brahmaputra dam: 'For power only, won't hurt India or Bangladesh flow'
The researchers wrote, “The Paizhen Fault, which has been highly active since the Pleistocene, will have a major impact on the structural stability and construction of nearby structures, including dams, roads, bridges and tunnels, as well as the reservoir area.”
The researchers said the fault had fractured surrounding rocks and weakened their mechanical properties, making engineering structures more vulnerable. “This makes the foundation bearing capacity and structural stability of nearby engineering projects more susceptible to damage,” they wrote. They added that the terrain in the reservoir area has a 'loose structure and weak cohesion', warning that 'after long-term immersion and under the influence of fault activity and earthquakes, instability of the slopes on both sides of the reservoir area can be extremely easily triggered'.
The study said the Paizhen region, including the Pai village area within the construction zone, lies in one of the most seismically active belts in the Himalayas, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates continue to collide. The researchers said records of Quaternary tectonic activity in the area provide an important basis for examining the structural stability of nearby projects. They said geological evidence showed the fault has remained active from the Early Pleistocene through the present Holocene epoch, with analysis of ancient lake sediments indicating activity as recently as 9,500 years ago.
The paper also referred to the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Milin in Tibet in 2017, at the northern end of the fault line, as evidence of its continuing seismic potential.
Under regional seismic action, landslides and collapses can easily be induced, threatening the safety of engineering facilities and personnel,” the researchers said. They added that, during construction, structural stability safeguards must be strengthened and that measures such as slope reinforcement and retaining barriers are essential to reduce the risk of landslides and collapse.
China's dam over Brahmaputra lies on a natural fault, with Chinese government-backed geologists warning that the Paizhen Fault runs through the site of the hydropower project being built on Tibet's Yarlung Tsangpo River. The study says the active fault could affect the structural stability of the dam and related infrastructure, renewing concerns over both the safety of the project and its downstream implications for India and Bangladesh.
The findings, reported by the South China Morning Post, come at a time when Beijing's dam project has already become a geopolitical flashpoint. Construction began last year on what is described as the world's largest hydropower project, designed to generate around 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, about three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam.
The Yarlung Tsangpo becomes the Brahmaputra after entering Arunachal Pradesh, flows through Assam, and then enters Bangladesh as the Jamuna River.
For India, the issue extends beyond engineering concerns. The Brahmaputra is one of the country's most important river systems, supporting agriculture, drinking water supplies, fisheries, hydropower generation and livelihoods across the Northeast. India has repeatedly expressed concern over China's upstream activities on the river, citing possible risks to water security, ecology and downstream communities.
According to a paper published last month in the Chinese-language journal Sedimentary Geology and Tethyan Geology, supervised by the state-owned China Geological Survey, the study was carried out by researchers 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.
DON'T MISS | China defends Brahmaputra dam: 'For power only, won't hurt India or Bangladesh flow'
The researchers wrote, “The Paizhen Fault, which has been highly active since the Pleistocene, will have a major impact on the structural stability and construction of nearby structures, including dams, roads, bridges and tunnels, as well as the reservoir area.”
The researchers said the fault had fractured surrounding rocks and weakened their mechanical properties, making engineering structures more vulnerable. “This makes the foundation bearing capacity and structural stability of nearby engineering projects more susceptible to damage,” they wrote. They added that the terrain in the reservoir area has a 'loose structure and weak cohesion', warning that 'after long-term immersion and under the influence of fault activity and earthquakes, instability of the slopes on both sides of the reservoir area can be extremely easily triggered'.
The study said the Paizhen region, including the Pai village area within the construction zone, lies in one of the most seismically active belts in the Himalayas, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates continue to collide. The researchers said records of Quaternary tectonic activity in the area provide an important basis for examining the structural stability of nearby projects. They said geological evidence showed the fault has remained active from the Early Pleistocene through the present Holocene epoch, with analysis of ancient lake sediments indicating activity as recently as 9,500 years ago.
The paper also referred to the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Milin in Tibet in 2017, at the northern end of the fault line, as evidence of its continuing seismic potential.
Under regional seismic action, landslides and collapses can easily be induced, threatening the safety of engineering facilities and personnel,” the researchers said. They added that, during construction, structural stability safeguards must be strengthened and that measures such as slope reinforcement and retaining barriers are essential to reduce the risk of landslides and collapse.