Explained: Why Chinaâs New Dam On Brahmaputra May Not Cause Water Shortage In Northeast But Is Still A Concern For India by Swarajya Staff - Mar 14, 2021 07:02 AM Yarlung River Snapshot The fear that the construction of a dam in Tibet would choke off the Brahmaputra and cause severe water shortages in Indiaâs northeast is not based on facts. The Brahmaputra is not entirely dependent on upstream flows from Tibet. China's toothless supreme legislative body, the National People's Congress (NPC), on Friday approved the outline of its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which involves, among other things, a plan to build a new dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, called the Brahmaputra in India.