New Delhi, (Samajweekly) The government is carefully monitoring all hydropower projects on Brahmaputra river in China, the Parliament was informed on Thursday.
The government carefully monitors all developments relating to the Brahmaputra river, including plans by China to develop hydropower projects including that one at Zangmu was declared fully operational in October 2015, Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question by AGP’s Birendra Prasad Baishya.
Singh also said that in its 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015), China planned to develop three more hydropower projects (Jiacha, Dagu and Jiexu) on the main stream of Brahmaputra River in Tibet Autonomous Region. Of the three, the first unit of the hydropower project at Jiacha was operationalised in August 2020. It is understood that the Dagu Hydropower project is partly operationalised, he added.
In March 2021, China adopted its 14th Five Year Plan which mentions plans for hydropower development on the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river.
The Minister also said that as a lower riparian state, with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, India has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities. Government has urged them to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.
“India and China have established an Expert-Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers in 2006. Various issues relating to trans-border rivers are discussed with China under the ambit of this institutionalised Expert-Level Mechanism as well as through diplomatic channels,” he said.
“We intend to remain engaged with China on the issue of trans-border rivers to safeguard our interests and the government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s interests and takes all necessary measures to protect them,” he added.
