China projects won't affect Brahmaputra water flow, says China

Prashant Sood in Sify News: China has told India it will only carry out 'run-of-the-river' projects on the Brahmaputra that will not affect the flow of water, says Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. 'There is intimation from China that it will only carry out run-of-the-river projects, which would not affect the flow of water from the Brahmaputra in India,' Bansal told IANS in an interview.

Asked about reports of China constructing a dam over the Brahmaputra, the minister said imageries do not suggest it is building a major dam on the river. 'Imageries show some activity...but it cannot be inferred that some major dam construction is under way for the purpose of diverting or impounding water,' he said.

The minister said China was sharing with India hydrological information concerning the Brahmaputra during the flood season. 'China is sharing hydrological information during the flood season in respect of three stations - Nugesha, Yangcun and Nuxia on the Yaluzangbu or Brahmaputra from June 1 to Oct 15. The hydrological information includes water level, discharge and rainfall and it is supplied by China twice daily,' he said.

The minister said India needs intense water conservation efforts as its per capita availability has declined due to population growth and the demand for water has increased to meet the challenge of food security.

'Population growth coupled with industrialization and urbanization - the average annual availability of water resources for the country as a whole remaining unchanged - we face the challenge of meeting increased demand for water for various purposes, particularly food security,' Bansal said….

From the Bundesarchiv, an expedition in Tibet on the banks of the Brahmaputra, via Wikimedia Commons