Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon

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Tsangpo Gorge, in center is Mount Namcha Barwa
Tsangpo Gorge, in center is Mount Namcha Barwa

The Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, or the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet is the deepest, and possibly longest canyon in the world. The Yarlung Tsangpo, usually just called "Tsangpo" (meaning "purifier"), originates from Mount Kailash and running east for about 1700 km drains a northern section of the Himalayas before its enters the gorge near Pe, Tibet. The canyon has a length of about 150 miles as the gorge bends around Mount Namcha Barwa (7756 m) and cuts its way through the eastern Himalayan range. Its waters drop from 3,000 m near Pe to about 300 m at the end of the gorge. After this passage the river enters Arunachal Pradesh, India, and eventually becomes the Brahmaputra.

Yarlung River in Tibet
Yarlung River in Tibet

Contents

[edit] History

Western interest in the Tsangpo started at the end of the 19th century when British explorers and geographists started to study the Himalayan area. For a long time it was unclear where the waters of the easterly flowing Tsangpo would end up. As British citizens were not allowed to enter Tibet they recruited Indian “pundits” to do the actual exploration. The Tsangpo Gorge proved to be the most difficult and inaccessible terrain to be explored. The Sikkimese Kintup was the first who on behalf of the British entered the Tsangpo gorge near Gyala. It was suspected that the Tsangpo was probably leading into the Brahmaputra. As the gorge itself proved to be impenetrable, Kintup was sent to perform the ultimate proof of their connection in 1880. He was to travel to Tibet and then release 500 specially marked logs into the river on a prearranged date, and his British boss, Captain Henry Harman, would post men on the Dihang-Brahmaputra to watch for the arrival of the logs. On his trip Kintup was sold into slavery, escaped, went to a pilgrimage to Lhasa, yet despite all these encumbrances he eventually was able to send off the logs at the prearranged time. Four years had passed. His effort was a glorious failure; his note to alert the British got misdirected, his boss had left India, and nobody paid attention. In 1913, Frederick Markham Bailey launched an expedition into the gorge that finally settled the issue concluding that the Tsangpo was indeed the upper Brahmaputra. Frank Kingdon-Ward started an expedition in 1924 in the expectation to find a major waterfall as to explain the huge difference in altitude between the Tsangpo and the Brahmaputra. It turned out that the gorge has a series of relatively deep declines and among them was a larger waterfall that he named the “Rainbow Falls;” however, no waterfall of the size of Niagara Falls was found. The area was closed for exploration in later years, until well after the Sino-Indian War. The Chinese government resumed issuing permits in the 1990’s. The legendary "Hidden Falls" of the Tsangpo Gorge were confirmed by the Baker expedition in 1998/9 and described in his book (below).

[edit] Ecosystem

The gorge has a unique ecosystem with species of animals and plants barely explored and affected by human influence. Its climate ranges from subtropical to arctic. The rare takin is one of the animals hunted by the local tribes. The gorge and its waters are considered sacred in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Its beauty, remoteness, and mystique make it one of the places thought to have inspired the notion of "Shangri-La" in James Hilton's book "Lost Horizon (novel)" in 1933.[1]

[edit] The "Everest of Rivers”

Since the 1990’s the Tsangpo gorge has been the destination of a number of teams that engage in exploration and whitewater kayaking. The gorge has been called the “Everest of Rivers” because of the extreme conditions of the river.[2] The first attempt to run was made in 1993 by a Japanese group who lost one member on the river.

In October 1998, a kayaking expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society attempted to navigate the Tsangpo Gorge. Troubled by unanticipated high water levels, the expedition ended in tragedy when expert kayaker Doug Gordon lost his life. The largest waterfall of the river, the "Hidden Falls", was not discovered until 1998.[3]

In January-February, 2002, an international group consisting of Scott Lindgren, Steve Fisher, Mike Abbott, Allan Ellard, Dustin Knapp, and Johnnie and Willie Kern, completed the first descent of the upper Tsangpo gorge section.[4]

[edit] Yarlung Tsangpo Hydroelectric Project

Current event marker This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures.
It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change as building construction begins and new information becomes available.		 Hard hat

While the government of the PRC has declared the establishment of a "Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon National Reservation", there have also been governmental plans and feasibility studies for a major dam to harness hydroelectric power and divert water to other areas in China. The size of the dam in the Tsongpo gorge would exceed that of Three Gorges Dam as it is anticipated that such a plant would generate 40,000 Megawatts electricity, more than twice the output of Three Gorges. It has been estimated that construction may start in 2009. It is feared that there will be displacement of local populations, destruction of ecosystems, and an impact for downstream people in India and Bangladesh.[5] The project is criticized by India because of its negative impact upon the residents downstream.[6] However, another type of dam, the inflatable, is possible that would obviate any necessity for a huge concrete structure. R.B. Cathcart, in 1999, first suggested a fabric dam--inflatable with freshwater or air--could block the Yarlung Tsangpo Caynon upstream of Namcha Barwa. Water would then be conveyed via a hardrock tunnel to a point downstream from that mountain, affording the generation of tens of thousands of megawatts--power which would have to be distributed internationally and equitably through a Himalayan power grid [7].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Satellite photo and facts
  2. ^ Press release of successful kayak run
  3. ^ Discovery of "Hidden Falls"
  4. ^ Story by Outside
  5. ^ Analysis of Tsangpo Hydroelectric Project, page 21
  6. ^ Indian criticism of hydro-dam project

7. R.B. Cathcart, "Tibetan Power: A unique hydro-electric macroproject servicing India and China", Current Science 77: 854 (10 October 1999).

[edit] External links

[edit] Books

  • Wick Walker (2000). Courting the Diamond Sow : A Whitewater Expedition on Tibet's Forbidden River. National Geographic. ISBN 0-7922-7960-3.
  • Todd Balf (2001). The Last River : The Tragic Race for Shangri-la. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80801-X.
  • Peter Heller (2004). Hell or High Water : Surviving Tibet's Tsangpo River. Rodale Books. ISBN 1-57954-872-5.
  • Ian Baker (2004). The Heart of the World : A journey to the last secret place. Souvenir Press. ISBN 0-285-63742-8.

[edit] Videos

  • Scott Lindgren (2002), "Into the Tsangpo Gorge". Slproductions. ASIN B0006FKL2Q.
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