Arunachal Pradesh, 12 March: In another development that will raise concerns for India, the Parliament in China Brahmaputra river adopted the 14th Five-Year Plan consisting of several projects worth billions of dollars, including the controversial hydropower project on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.
The plan was adopted by China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC) for national economic and social development along with the long-range objectives through the year 2035.
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Last year, the Chinese government’s mouthpiece reported that the dam will be constructed with the aim of maintaining water resources and domestic security.
WION reported that this project has raised concerns for the South Asian countries India and Bangladesh. The Indian government has urged China to keep the interests of the downstream areas and make sure that the trans-border rivers’ usage rights are not harmed by the upstream areas. China, downplaying the importance of these concerns, has said it will keep in mind the anxieties and concerns raised by the South Asian countries.
In February, the government had said that it is “carefully monitoring” all developments on the Brahmaputra river over China’s plans for hydropower development on the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, MoS external affairs V Muraleedharan said that the government has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to Chinese authorities and has urged them to ensure the interests of downstream states aren’t harmed.
“Various issues relating to trans-border Rivers are discussed with China under institutionalized Expert Level Mechanism established in 2006 and through diplomatic channels,” the minister had said.
Chinese state media had reported earlier that authorities could build up to 60 GW of hydropower capacity on a section of the Brahmaputra.
