The government on Wednesday said that any attempt by China to set up a hydropower station on the Brahmaputra river will act as an encroachment on the entitled rights of lower riparian states like India and Bangladesh and adversely affect the availability of water in its basin during the lean season.
The issue was discussed during a review meeting of the Central Water Commission by Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State in the Jal Shakti Ministry.
“Regarding the alleged plan of China to set up a super hydropower station at the Brahmaputra at Medong, Tibet, the officials apprised that any attempt to divert the water of Brahmaputra river shall act as an encroachment on the entitled rights of lower riparian states like India, Bangladesh and adversely affect the availability of water in the Brahmaputra basin during the lean season,” a statement by the ministry said.
“However, there are official platforms—like the Expert Level Mechanism set up between India and China in the year 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers,” the statement added.
In November, Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the Power Construction Corp of China, said China will “implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River” (the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra) and the project could serve to maintain water resources and domestic security.
India too plans to build a multipurpose 10,000 MW reservoir in Arunachal Pradesh to offset the impact The proposed 9.2 BCM ‘Upper Siang’ project on the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh will be able to take the excess load of water discharge and can even store water in case of any deficit, an official said.
Ninety percent of the Brahmaputra water comes through its tributaries in India during the monsoon season, thanks to the abundant rainfall in the Northeast region. It is only in the winters that 80 percent of the Siang river gets its water from the upper stretches as glaciers become the main source.
Under existing bilateral memorandums of understanding, China provides hydrological information of Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers to India during the flood seasons. Under the arrangement, China provides flood season data of the Brahmaputra river between 15 May and 15 October every year.
The statement said the minister was informed that there will be better water management by the formation of river basin organizations. “He was worried about the increasing water conflicts in the country. CWC Officials informed that with the passage of ISRWD (Inter-State River Water Disputes) Amendment Bill, the water conflicts will be solved more quickly. CWC officials also informed that the passage of ISWRD Bill and Dam Safety Bill is very much necessary for holistic management of water resources in the country,” the statement added.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS