NEW DELHI, Nov 23 - Confirming that China has blocked a channel of River Brahmaputra, India today said that it has urged China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in the upstream areas of Tibet.
�As a lower riparian state with considerable user rights to the waters of the Brahmaputra River, India has conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities, including at the highest levels. India has urged China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas in Tibet,� said Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (retd) VK Singh in reply to a Lok Sabha question by Dushyant Singh, Gaurav Gogoi, Ramen Deka and Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia.
In September 2016, the Chinese authorities announced the blocking of Xiabuqu river at Xigaze in Tibet as part of the Lalho multiple hydro project. Xiabuqu is a tributary of the Yearlong Zangbo (Brahmaputra) river. According to information available, the proposed reservoir is designed to store up to 295 million cubic metres of water to irrigate about 30,000 hectares of farmland. The project also proposes to have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts. The Lalho project is approximately 1,100 km upstream of the entry point of River Brahmaputra into India in Arunachal Pradesh, said the minister.
There is no water treaty between India and China. The Government of India, under the Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Cooperation on Trans-border Rivers with China, signed in October 2013, obtains hydrological data from China on rivers Brahmaputra and Sutlej.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India on October 15-16 to participate in the eighth BRICS Summit held in Goa. the Prime Minister had a bilateral meeting with President Xi on October 15. During the meeting, various issues of mutual interest and concerns were discussed. Both sides agreed to make efforts to strengthen the closer developmental partnership on the basis of mutual sensitivity to each other�s concerns, interests and aspirations, the minister said.
