Assam Congress flags China’s Medog Dam threat, demands urgent MEA action

Opposition leader urges diplomatic intervention on China's Medog Hydropower Project. Concerns over ecological, economic, and security implications for Assam. Proposals for binding agreements and multilateral cooperation outlined.

Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia

Story highlights

Opposition leader writes to Union Minister seeking urgent diplomatic intervention
Concerns raised over ecological and security impacts near Assam border
Lack of data sharing and formal treaty with China increases flood risks

Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has written to Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, urging immediate diplomatic intervention over China’s ongoing construction of the Medog Hydropower Project on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river near the Indian border.

In his letter, Saikia expressed deep concern on behalf of the people of Assam, warning that the massive hydropower project—being developed close to the Great Bend—could have far-reaching ecological, economic, and security implications for Assam and other Northeastern states.

He noted that while Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed the dam could help manage floods through controlled water release, the absence of transparency, real-time data sharing, and a formal water-sharing treaty with China raises serious risks for downstream regions.

“Assam remains dangerously exposed to potential large-scale floods, ecological disruption, reduced dry-season flow, and strategic water leverage by China,” Saikia stated, warning that these factors could threaten agriculture, biodiversity, and human settlements in the region.

The Congress leader proposed several steps to mitigate the threat, including a binding bilateral agreement with China, protocols for hydrological data sharing and early flood warnings, and the creation of a multilateral platform involving India, China, Bhutan, and Bangladesh to manage Himalayan transboundary rivers.

He called for strong diplomatic leadership to protect Assam’s hydrological rights and ecological security, highlighting how upstream activities were compounding the state’s vulnerability to climate-induced floods and erosion.

Edited By: Avantika

Published On: Jul 23, 2025