Taken note of reports of China starting dam construction on Brahmaputra in Tibet: Govt tells RS

New Delhi: India has "taken note" of reports about China commencing the construction of a mega dam project on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River (upper reaches of Brahmaputra) in Tibet, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.

In a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, said the project was first made public as far back as 1986 and since then, preparations have been underway in China.

The government of India has "taken note of reports about commencement of construction of mega dam project by China on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo (upper reaches of the Brahmaputra) River in Tibet," he said.

The government "carefully monitors" all developments relating to the Brahmaputra River, including plans by China to develop hydropower projects, and "takes necessary measures to protect our interests, including preventive and corrective measures to safeguard life and livelihood of Indian citizens residing in the downstream areas", he said.

Various issues relating to trans-border rivers are discussed with China under the ambit of an institutionalised expert level mechanism, which was established in 2006, as well as through diplomatic channels, Singh sad in his response.

"As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, the government has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities, including on the need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, and urged them to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in the upstream areas," he added.

The need for cooperation on trans-border rivers, including resumption of provision of hydrological data by the Chinese side, has been highlighted by the government in several bilateral interactions with China, including during the recent visit of the external affairs minster to China from July 14-16 for the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the minster said.