Image for representation only.
New Delhi: Amid concerns over China’s construction of a major hydroelectric project on Tibet’s Brahmaputra River, India also plans to build a multi-purpose reservoir in Arunachal Pradesh to offset its impact, a senior Jal ministry official said Tuesday. Shakti.
TS Mehra, commissioner (Brahmaputra and Barak) of Jal Shakti’s ministry, said the 10,000 MW multipurpose hydroelectric project is being considered.
“This project will help offset the impact of China’s hydroelectric project,” he said.
He explained that the proposed 9.2 BCM ‘Upper Siang’ project on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh will be able to absorb excess water discharge load and can even store water in case of any shortfall.
Mehra added that 90 percent of the Brahmaputra’s water comes from its tributaries in India during the monsoon season, thanks to abundant rains in the northeast region. It is only in winters that 80 percent of the Siang River gets its water from the upper reaches, as glaciers become the main source.
Another senior official from Jal Shakti’s ministry said the project has been under discussion since the 1980s, pointing to obstacles in its execution.
Last week, Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the China Power Construction Corporation, said that Beijing will “implement hydroelectric power exploitation downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo” (the Tibetan name for Brahmaputra) and that the project could serve to maintain water resources and domestic security.
“There is no parallel in history … It will be a historic opportunity for the Chinese hydroelectric industry,” Yan said at a press conference organized to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the China Hydropower Engineering Society.
In reaction to this, Brahma Chellaney, strategic affairs expert and author of the book ‘Water: Asia’s New Battleground’, tweeted on November 30 that India is facing “China’s land aggression in the Himalayas, maritime invasions in your backyard and, as the latest news is a reminder, even the water wars. “
“Note the ominous references related to the Indian border to” downstream “and the” Grand Canyon “of the river, he added.
The mighty Brahmaputra, one of the longest rivers in the world, passes through China, India, and Bangladesh and has several tributaries and sub-tributaries.
Yarlung Zangbo originates from Tibet. The river is known as Siang when it enters India through Arunachal Pradesh. Furthermore, it is joined by several tributaries to take the form of the Brahmaputra in Assam.
As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights over the waters of transboundary rivers, the Indian government has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities and urged them to ensure that the interests of the downstream states are not harmed by any activity in upstream areas.
India and China established an expert-level mechanism in 2006 to discuss various issues related to transboundary rivers.
According to existing bilateral MOUs, China provides hydrological information on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers to India during flood seasons.
Under the agreement, China provides data for the Brahmaputra flood season between May 15 and October 15 of each year.
