'Ensure India's interests not harmed': MEA to China amid concerns over massive dam project in Tibet

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Friday said that India has conveyed its concerns over China's plan to build a dam on Brahmaputra in Tibet.

During a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has taken note of China's plans of building a hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

He said that as a lower riparian, India has expressed its concerns to the Chinese side through expert-level and diplomatic channels regarding mega projects on rivers in their territory.

"These concerns have been reiterated, along with the need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report," he said.

READ: Explained: Why China’s USD 137 billion-mega dam on Brahmaputra should worry India

He said that India will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect its interests, adding that China has been asked to ensure that interests of downstream states like India and Bangladesh are not harmed by activities in upstream areas.

China earlier approved the construction of hydropower dam, said to be the world's largest, on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau.

The announcement sparked concerns in countries like India and Bangladesh, which are lower riperian states.

The dam can empower China to control the water flow and release large amounts of water flooding border areas in times of hostilities because of its size and scale.

India too is building a dam over Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.

Last week, China defended the plan and said that the project will not “negatively affect” lower riparian states.

It added that safety issues have been addressed through decades of studies.

The project estimated to cost around $ 137 billion is located in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region, along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently.

The dam will be built at a huge gorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra River makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then to Bangladesh.

China has already operationalised the $1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet in 2015.

The Brahmaputra dam was part of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 adopted by Plenum, a key policy body of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2020.