Dhaka, Aug. 22 -- China's sweeping hydropower ambitions on the Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra River have thrust South Asia's water issues to a critical fray, approaching a potential grand impulse. Touting green prosperity, Premier Li Qiang cheer led the unveiling of the $167 billion hydropower goliath in Tibet last month.

Albeit what was never a silent flow, from the high plateau, through India and into Bangladesh, the waters now churn with apprehension, pushing environmental concerns to the back burner. The plan for the project came in ripples, but is now to lap at every regional shoreline for the coming decade.

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