By Ratan Bhattacharjee
China’s construction of the Lalho dam, a project operationalised in October 2015 is to block the Xiabuqu river a tributary of the Brahmaputra which is locally called Yarlung Zangbo justifying it as a livelihood project to address food security and flood safety in Tibet. During the visit of Prime Minister of India to China in May 2015 it was promised that the two sides would further strengthen cooperation through the expert –level mechanisms on the provision of flood season hydrological data and emergency management and exchange views on other issues of mutual interest. But these assurances are audaciously flouted by China when it took up the project of Lalho dam construction without taking note of India’s concerns.
In reply to the concern expressed by Indian Government, the Chinese Foreign Ministry argues that the project is to address food security and flood safety in Tibet. The second argument for justifying the dam is still more audacious .According to the Chinese spokesperson, the tributary river is located completely within the Chinese side. Thirdly, they argue that the dam will not have an adverse impact downstream. The blockade of the Xiabuqu river in Tibet for the construction of the $740 million Lalho projet was announced recently on October 1 defying the principles of good cooperation on trans-border rivers existing between the two countries. This kind of cooperation has been there between Bangladesh and India for a longer time. The project should be seen from humanitarian angle and from the larger picture of China –India friendship.
Union Minister of State for Water Resources Sanwar Lal Jat informed that the construction is causing a drop in water level in Brahmaputra in Assam. In 2006 the India-China Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) on trans-border rivers signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation on trans-border rivers. Hydrological data and emergency management have to be considered for accepting the dam project of China. Brahmaputra is rich in water and a major hydrological resource for Tibet, but enough thinking is required for the adverse effects on the downstream areas of India in the North East. Brahmaputra flows from Tibet into Arunachal Pradesh ,Assam and later into Bangladesh. So a vast area in India and Bangladesh will be affected by the construction of the dam and India Government does not show much seriousness about it although officially the assurance is given that it will take up the issue with China. Till date nothing substantial is done to allay the apprehensions in the minds of the people of India.
The expert opinion is that the Tibet construction is not more than 40 per cent. The river’s mean discharge is 25.8 cubic meters per second (cumecs) less than 0.15 per cent of the Brahmaputra’s mean discharge when it enters India. If the waters are diverted then projects on the Brahmaputra particularly the Upper Siang and Lower Subansri projects in Arunachal Pradesh may get affected. The dam may impact the flow of silt as well which is essential to build up North Eastern Plains. Even it the Lalho project does not reduce water flow to India in the far future , it may add up to desertification of Tibet and Xigaze region itself.
It is important for both India and China to be equally desirous of attaining the complete and satisfactory utilisation of the waters as reflected earlier in the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan, to recognise the need of fixing and delimiting in a spirit of goodwill and friendship, the rights and obligations of each in relation to the other concerning the use of waters .The cooperative spirit cannot be forgotten .Care should be taken of ‘non –consumptive use’ of water such as for navigation , floating of timber, or other property , flood protection , or flood control, fishing or fish culture , wild life or such like beneficial purposes. It is very clear that China has purposely started the Dam project.
Even as India mulls scrapping of Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan , China blocks the tributary of Brahmaputra in Tibet to build a dam. It is not clear yet what impact the blockade will have on India and Bangladesh although China has tried constantly to dismiss apprehensions of restricting the flow of water.
Ismail Serageldin , Word Bank Vice President recently said in a different context : The next world war will be over water’. At least on the Lalho Dam project the Indo-Chinese relation will once more be strained and it is already much strained after the Chinese claims on Arunachal Pradesh.
It is not new that China is adding insult to India’s injury. Whenever there is a tension between India and Pakistan over water sharing , China takes the chance of adding up pressure. The outline of the 12th Five year Plan for the People’s Republic of China indicates that three more hydropower projects on the mainstream of Brahmaputra river in Tibet Autonomous Region have been approved for implementation. Lalho Dam is one such project which is increasing India’s concern.
(The author is Associate Professor and Head , Post Graduate Dept of English, Dum Dum Motijheel College and may be contacted at [email protected])