New Delhi, April 22 (Inditop.com) China has assured India that a hydroelectric project it is constructing on Tsangpo river in Tibet will not impact the downstream flow to the Brahmaputra and the two countries will discuss the issue later this month, parliament was informed Thursday.
“It is a fact that when we met in Beijing, the question of the power station did come up. The Chinese foreign minister assured me that there would be no water storage at the dam and it would not in any way impact on downstream areas,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said during question hour in Rajya Sabha.
The response came on a supplementary from Ravi Shankar Prasad of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the impact of the Chinese dam, since there was no water sharing treaty between the two countries.
Krishna’s reply provoked an angry response from Prasad, who demanded a discussion on the issue.
“He has admitted the Chinese are constructing a dam. We should have a discussion,” he said.
Chairman Hamid Ansari, however, chose to move on to the next supplementary from N.K. Singh (Janata Dal-United) on whether the “spirit of cooperation” that India and China had displayed during the Copenhagen climate change summit would be extended to other fora like the WTO.
“We have to continue our engagement. We have an expert level mechanism in place. It is meeting April 26-29. All issues relating to trans-border rivers will be discussed,” Krishna said.
The size of the Tsangpo dam would exceed that of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river in China, the world’s largest electricity-generating plant. It is anticipated that the Tsangpo dam would generate 40,000 MW of power, more than twice that of Three Gorges.
In another supplementary, Prasad pointed to the “disconnect” between China’s declarations on improving ties with India and its actions on the ground – the latest instance being to issue a stapled and stamped visa to a shooter from Arunachal Pradesh.
“Are we not able to convince China or is China taking us for granted?” he asked.
“At the highest level, we have come to an understanding on relations between our two countries. We need to work closely together. A beginning was made at Copenhagen. We took a common position on pressing global problems.
“There are concerns on the boundary question. India’s policy is for a fair and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. Our special representatives have held 13 meetings and the 14th will be held anytime in the foreseeable future,” Krishna said.
