BEIJING, Dec 13 - China today denied plans to construct a tunnel to divert Brahmaputra river waters amid reports of highly polluted waters from its main stem Siang flowing into India.
�I would like to point out that China�s position on the eastern part of the China-India border is consistent and clear,� Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in response to questions about the reports on blackened, muddy waters with cement and sledge of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh.
He refuted reports that it may be due to a tunnel being constructed on the Chinese side. �I have never heard of the project mentioned by the Indian side. It is hoped that the Indian side will not conduct unfounded speculation and reports,� he said in a written response to a question in this regard.
In October, China had denied reports of plans to build a 1,000-km-long tunnel to divert Brahmaputra waters to the arid regions of Xinjiang, saying the report is untrue and false. There is, however, no explanation for the highly-polluted waters in Siang river.
The Brahmaputra originates in Tibet where it is called Yarlung Tsangpo and is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh before it enters Assam and flows southwards to the sea through Bangladesh. � PTI