China plan to divert Brahmaputra sparks concern in Delhi

NEW DELHI: China seems to be considering a new plan to divert Brahmaputra waters from the upper reaches as it battles hard with severe drought conditions, a development which has sparked fresh fears in India about the Chinese intention. While Beijing last year announced the construction of a $1.2 billion hydroelectric power station on the Brahmaputra (known as Yarlung Tsangpo in China), it continues to maintain that this project will not impact the flow of water to downstream countries like India and Bangladesh.

While the run-of-the-river Zangmu dam is meant to deal with shortage of power in Tibet, China is now said to be also considering diverting the waters in the upper reaches towards Xinjiang. According to Wang Guangqian of Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is China's supreme scientific and technological advisory board, Chinese experts have come up with a new proposal, separate from the earlier approved western canal plan, which seeks to divert water towards the northwestern region of the country. Unlike the earlier plan, the new proposal will slow down the flow of the affecting Brahmaputra, especially in the lean season.

Confirming the new proposal to China's official news agency, Wang said last week that this plan had come at least 50 years ahead of its time because of the acute water scarcity. Indian officials said they were looking at the situation closely even though there was no evidence yet to suggest any major diversion by China of Brahmaputra.

According to strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney, this further authenticates China's "opaque'' hydro-engineering plans and its intention to build more dams on Brahmaputra. "As in the case of the Mekong, it intends to begin work quietly on large dams on the Brahmaputra. India's reluctance to speak up — and the habit of Indian officials to regurgitate China's empty assurances —only emboldens Beijing to opaquely pursue projects to the detriment of downstream users,'' Chellaney said.