By Ibu Sanjeeb Garg
On September 30, China announced that it has blocked the Xiabuqu river as part of a major hydroelectric project, the Lalho hydroelectric project at Shigatse. Xiabuqu River is a major tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo, the upper stream of Brahmaputra river flowing from Tibet. The Lalho project has an investment of 4.95 billion and the construction is scheduled to be completed by 2019. It is designed to store upto 295 million cubic metres of water and would help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland. The strategic value of the Lalho project lies also in the fact that Shigatse is only a few hours driving distance from the junction of Bhutan and Sikkim, and the city from which the Chinese plan to extend their railroads to Nepal.
The project however has raised concerns in the lower riparian states of Brahmaputra –India and Nepal. While insisting that the project is a run of the river project, the Chinese official agency Xinhua clarified that the construction of the project will not impact water levels in lower Brahmaputra. Yet in the absence of a comprehensive water treaty between China and India, the construction of this dam has undoubtedly raised new concerns. Since 2013 China and India have been sharing water details through an Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) which coordinates on trans border rivers. The construction of this dam however raises new issues into the efficiency of the Expert Level Mechanism.
The concerns of India are in essence threefold. The first is the traditional question of water itself. When rivers are trans boundary in nature, lower riparian states are always at a disadvantage. This is because upper riparian states can restrict the flow of the water and effectively curtail the water rights of the lower riparian states. In this particular case, however, the issue is not limited to the Lalho project alone. This project is only a pointer of the years to come and how it might affect the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra river system. Both India and China have embarked on a massive hydropower energy generation path, yet in the quest for lower carbon footprint, such a race might completely destroy the ecosystem of the rivers. The Chinese plan to construct over 40 dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo. If China achieves this, the character of the river would be permanently altered. These dams could alter the geographical character as well. These dams would be built on slopes with a gradient of as much as 60 degrees and on the meeting point of three of the youngest mountain systems of the world. In essence, the case of an earthquake would be a calamity waiting to happen. If a major earthquake were to hit the mountains, millions of people would lose their lives. The Kedarnath disaster of 2013 in India would be a grim reminder of the dangers in trying to tame the Himalayan river systems.
The second concern is the character of the Brahmaputra river itself. The rivers of the Himalayan ecosystem are younger in nature and by character adventurous. In the last 250 years, the Brahmaputra has changed its course a number of times. The char areas in Assam are fascinating examples of this phenomenon. Every few years new islands appear in the Brahmaputra while old ones disappear. The inhabitants of the old islands are often unsure of the country they belong to. This often gives rise to political unrest in North Eastern states. Any move to control or shift the Brahmaputra course might accentuate the political problems in the North East India.
The third concern is the larger role that the river plays in the life of people in the North Eastern region of India. A number of tribes along the rivers have built livelihoods around the course of the river. They centre their lives around fishing and other activities. For example, lumberjacks from Arunachal Pradesh cut logs in the mountains and transport them through the Gai, Ronganodi and Subanshiri rivers (all tributaries of Brahmaputra) via rafts. It makes for a fascinating sight when people sail on rafts for days till they reach the plains with logs tied to the bottom of their rafts. The influence of these rivers in the lives of the people would thus be immense.
The way forward then is to engage in a comprehensive dialogue. While the 2013 Expert Level Mechanism was a much warranted step, much more needs to be done. Both India and China have set up aggressive goals for themselves in combating climate change. Shifting from non renewable energy sources to renewable ones like hydroelectricity is an important step in this direction. However, as global evidence would have shown us, large dams are not the solution to energy sources. Constructing continuous run of the river dams would damage the ecology of the river too. A river is not only the water but the flora and fauna, the complete ecology in totality. Dams in large number damage this ecology of the river. And all stakeholders have to realise this. China has to take India into confidence because rivers shouldn’t be used to further political or geostrategic agendas. There is the ecological and environmental question which should be approached through consensus. Rivers are in truth common heritage of the world to be nurtured by all.
(Views expressed by the author are personal)