Chinese Research Institutions’ Investigation Finds Rising Heavy Metal Levels in Water Quality and Sediments in Tibet Reservoir Areas

（Rights Defense Network Information Center report）On August 12, 2026， this website learned that in April 2019， an internal report titled “Special Report on Heavy Metal Treatment in Water Bodies of the Angqu Zongtongka Water Conservancy Hub Project in Tibet” published jointly by the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and China University of Geosciences in Wuhan showed that heavy metal levels in the water bodies and sediments of the Angqu and Lancang River basins in Chamdo, Tibet, had risen， in stark contrast to official propaganda that “Tibet’s environment is protected”。

The research team obtained samples from monitoring stations at the mouth of the Angqu River and on the Lancang River in Chamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region， primarily testing water temperature， pH levels， permanganate， heavy metal indicators including total arsenic, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium， as well as pollutant indicators including fluoride and flow chloride ions。

The study found that since construction began on the Chamdo power station， the levels of heavy metals including total arsenic, iron and manganese in the sediments of water bodies near the Zongtongka Reservoir have shown a clear upward trend。

The report thus shows that the construction of hydropower stations by the CCP authorities in Tibet will cause heavy metal levels in nearby water bodies and river sediments to rise significantly， making it one of the major factors polluting the ecological environment in addition to mining。

The international community should pay attention to this internal report by the Chinese authorities。