ABSTRACT
The Brahmaputra is, in terms of annual discharge, one of the world’s largest rivers, with an annual average flow at Bahadurabad (allowing for spill into the Old Brahmaputra channel) of 20,000 m³/sec. To date, there are only two dams of significance on it, in China (Tibet), and in Bhutan, both designed primarily for hydropower. With the current perceptions of a world water crisis, and the demand of the fast developing countries of India and China for cheaper energy in the face of rising competition for fossil fuels, it is likely that increasing attention will be focused on ways to harness the resources of this great river. How, and by whom, this is done, will have major consequences for Bangladesh, the lower riparian, both in terms of attenuation of the peak monsoon flow, and the reduction or augmentation of the dry season flow. This article summarizes what data is available in the public domain, and what can be deduced from this and the few reports that have been published.
