Dhaka, June 21 -- China has begun work on the world's largest hydroelectric dam, situated on the lower reaches of Tibet's Yarlung Tsangpo River, about 50km from the Indian border, reports Indian broadcaster NDTV.

In response, India is also pushing forward with an initiative of its own - a 11,000MW hydroelectric and flood-control mega dam under the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh. If built, it would become India's largest hydropower project, generating an estimated 47 billion units of electricity annually at a projected cost of $13 billion.

In addition to power generation, SUMP is also designed to control seasonal downstream flooding and protect Indians from risks of upstream divesions.

ND...