India 'Take note' of China that starts the mega -dam on Brahmaputra in Tibet: Govt in Parliament

The Narendra Modi government on Thursday informed parliament that India had “noted” of China reports that began the construction of a mega dam project at the bottom of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, in the top of the Brahmaputra, in Tibet. In a written reply to a query in Rajya Sabha, Foreign Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh said the project was made public in 1986 and since then preparations have been underway in China. The Government of India “noted reports on the start of the construction of the Mega Dam project by China over the lower reach of the Yarlung Tsangpo (upper reach of the Brahmaputra) River in Tibet,” Singh said in the answer. The Government ‘monitor’ all developments related to the Brahmaputra River, including plans by China to develop water power projects, and “take the necessary measures to protect our interests, including preventative and corrective measures to protect life and livelihoods for Indian citizens living in the downstream areas,” he said. Where is Yarlung Tsangbo River? The Yarlung Tsangbo River originates in the Tibetan Himalayas and enters India as the Siang in the far eastern Arunachal Pradesh state before flowing downstream to Assam as the Brahmaputra. The river eventually empty in the bay of Bengal by Bangladesh, where it is called the Padma. Several issues related to the border rivers are discussed with China under the scope of an institutionalized mechanism for the expert level, founded in 2006, as well as by diplomatic channels, Singh Sad in his response. “As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights on the waters of the river rivers, the government has always transferred its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities, including the need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, and they have encouraged them to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not injured by any activities in the downstream areas,” he added. The need for collaboration on the border rivers, including the resumption of the Chinese side’s provision of hydrological data, was highlighted by the government in various bilateral interaction with China, including the recent visit to the Foreign Minister to China from July 14 to 16 for the SCO Foreign Minister meeting, the minister said. (With Pti inputs)