Tibetans have decried the Chinese dam project as another example of disregard for their culture.

-by Radio Free Asia 

Rising waters from a new dam in central China have submerged the area where a 135-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monastery once stood, as well as a nearby village, according to experts who viewed satellite photos and two sources inside Tibet.

The Atsok Monastery, built in 1889, was demolished earlier this year to make way for the expansion of the Yangqu hydropower station in Qinghai province.

Tibetans have decried the dam’s construction, saying it is yet another example of the Chinese government’s disregard for their culture, religion and environment.

After floodgates for the dam were closed around Aug. 10, reservoirs filled and water levels rose in upstream areas of the Machu River, or Yellow River in Chinese, experts who saw the satellite imagery said.

Satellite photos showed the complete submersion of the 18-hectare (44-acre) monastery area and nearby Chorten village and the partial submersion of adjacent farmlands of Yangchu village, said Y. Nithiyanandam, professor and head of the geospatial program at Takshashila Institution in Bengaluru, India.

“The water levels have risen by nearly 100 meters [328 feet] above the previous regular flow, submerging the villages. It is difficult to predict at this time whether the water storage has reached its threshold or may continue to rise,” added Nithiyanandam.

Jacob Bogle, a private satellite imagery analyst, also said the images showed that water levels reached the elevation of the monastery on Aug.16, and that by Aug. 31, the site was completely submerged.

The growing reservoir now reaches about 30 kilometers (19 miles) upstream, possibly flooding some of the farmland around the village of Thangnak town, Bogle said. Click here to read more.