New Delhi [India], January 3 : India has urged the Chinese side to ensure that the downstream states of the Brahmaputra river are not harmed by activities in upstream areas, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.
The remarks came close on the heels after reports emerged that the Chinese side is constructing a mega dam upstream of Brahmaputra on Chinese soil. The river Brahmaputra is locally known as 'Yarlung Tsangpo' in the Tibet region of China.
"The Chinese side has been urged to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters today, at a weekly presser here in the national capital.
Soon after the reports of the dam construction emerged in the media, many, including citizens and strategic experts, raised concerns about its impact on the downstream region of India, along with neighbouring Bangladesh. Such concerns were also raised earlier from time to time when China indicated the building of hydropower projects on the upstream.
MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said the Indian government has seen the information released by Xinhua on December 25, 2024, regarding a hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Addressing the weekly presser, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect its interests.
"As a lower riparian state with established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed, through expert-level as well as diplomatic channels, our views and concerns to the Chinese side over mega projects on rivers in their territory," Jaiswal said.
"These have been reiterated, along with the need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report," Jaiswal added.
On January 1, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, addressing a presser in Guwahati, told reporters he was concerned by the building of large dams over Brahmaputra by China and has also expressed its concerns to New Delhi, He had asserted that the central government will take up the matter with the Chinese counterpart.
The Brahmaputra river runs through the length and breadth of Assam and is a lifeline for the state, and the region.
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