India Warns China Against Violating Water Rights
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India’s government has urged China to respect its water rights over the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra River, reported AFP on Thursday, after the Chinese government revealed plans to build three hydroelectric dams upstream, which may possibly affect water flow along Indian territory.
India’s government has urged China to respect its water rights over the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra River, reported AFP on Thursday, after the Chinese government revealed plans to build three hydroelectric dams upstream, which may possibly affect water flow along Indian territory.
According to a government document posted on China’s State Council’s website last week, the Chinese government intends to “comprehensively promote hydropower base construction” on a number of rivers including the “middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river, which flows from the Himalayas to India’s northeast before ending in the Bay of Bengal.
Although the projects are reported to be “run-of-the river” – meaning they do not require large storage reservoirs or cause major disruption to the flow – the announcement still managed to surprise New Delhi; as it had not received any notice from China, while the two countries do not currently have a water-sharing treaty, despite being in the midst of instituting a mechanism to exchange data on transborder rivers.
“As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters of the river, India has conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities, including at the highest levels of the government of the People’s Republic of China,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, as cited by the Indian Express.
[quote]”The government of India carefully monitors all developments on the Brahmaputra river,” Akbaruddin added, “[and] India urges China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.”[/quote]Related: Troubled Waters: Has The India-Pakistan Water Conflict Reached A Boiling Point?
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According to AFP, the 1,800-mile (2,900 kilometre) Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra river supplies water to “hundreds of millions” of Indian farmers and residents annually. Defence Minister A.K. Antony told the Deccan Herald that the government would request for detailed blueprints for China’s plan to construct upstream dams on the Brahmaputra river and would take a considered view on the move.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei however said on Wednesday that China had “always taken a responsible attitude towards the development and the utilisation of cross border rivers.”
[quote]”Any new project has to go through scientific planning and study with consideration of the interests of both upper stream and lower stream communities,” Hong added.[/quote]Related: China vs. India – Is Either Economy At Risk? : Stephen Roach
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As recently as last month, top Chinese officials issue also assured their Indian counterparts that they would not take any steps to affect downstream flows. The Hindu reports that Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo had met with India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon to discuss joint efforts on measuring water flows.
And during a visit to India last month, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi applauded the efforts between the two countries’ highest leaders to discuss their trans-borders rivers.
In fact, according to the Economic Times, India’s government has also consistently tried to downplay the threat that Chinese construction poses.
