JOIN USWith China blocking a tributary of Brahmaputra to build a multi-purpose dam in Tibet, New Delhi is set to ask Beijing once again to be mindful of the interests of India while building any project in the upper reaches of the cross-border river.
“We have conveyed to the Chinese side that they should be mindful of the interests of the lower riparian while undertaking any projects on these rivers,” said Vikas Swarup, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. He was replying to a query on New Delhi’s view on recent reports that China had blocked a tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo to build a hydro-electric project.
The reports came at a time when India started reviewing its own Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan in the wake of the September 18 terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in north Kashmir.
The Brahmaputra, which originates from the Angsi glacier in western Tibet, is known as Yarlung Tsangpo before it enters India. On Thursday, Swarup said Beijing had conveyed to New Delhi on several occasions that China was only undertaking run-of-the-river hydro power projects, which did not involve diversion of the waters of the Brahmaputra.
He noted that India and China had a bilateral agreement to share information on cross-border rivers, including Brahmaputra and Sutlej. “We also have an expert-level mechanism which meets regularly to discuss issues concerning cross-border rivers. We have a data-sharing arrangement under which the Chinese side provides us data on Brahmaputra and Sutlej during the flood season,” Swarup said.
He said the India-China bilateral arrangement on cross-border rivers had been useful in preventing damage during the flood season, which create temporary dams. “All relevant issues which occurred after the last meeting will be taken up at the next meeting of the expert level mechanism,” he added.