Guwahati:
China’s declaration of construction of the world’s largest dam was like a ‘water bomb’, which will have a devastating effect on northeast India and Bangladesh, a BJP Lok Sabha member of Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao claimed here on Tuesday.
Arunachal Pradesh MLAs were addressing a conference on ensuring water security, ecological integrity and disaster flexibility in the sub-period area: Brahmaputra’s case ‘.
“China has already decided to construct a dam, which will have a capacity to produce 60,000 MW power. It is not a dam, but is a water bomb used against India and other lower ripperian countries,” said Mr. Gao.
He claimed that the devastating flood of June 2000 was due to a similar “water bomb”, which was washed over 10 bridges on the Siang River, as Yarlung Tsangpo is known in Arunachal Pradesh, before it enters Asam, it becomes Brahmaputra.
He said, “If China decides to release water from the dam in the future, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bangladesh and other countries of Southeast Asia will be destroyed,” he said.
The MP from Arunachal East said that he supported the proposal of another dam to be built on the Siang River in his state, which would prevent disaster due to the possibility of sudden release of water from the proposed dam.
There are valid concerns about this project as the dam can also disrupt the flow of water from Tibet, reduce flash flood risks or reduce water availability, he said.
The MP said, “It will directly affect agriculture and water supply in India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, as well as in Bangladesh, depending on China for this important resources”, the MP said.
He said that the Government of India is trying to talk to China on this issue so that the matter can be resolved.
China approved the construction of the world’s largest dam on Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet at an estimated cost of US $ 137 billion on 25 December.
The largest dam site is where the river creates a U-turn in Medog County, China before entering Arunachal Pradesh.
A specialist in Asian politics and history, Thailand-based Swedish journalist-writer Burtel Linter highlighted that the Chinese invasion in the Tibetan region in the late 1950s was specifically targeted on several mega rivers that originated in the “roof of the world”.
He said, “China has built only 11 mega dams on the Mekong River, which is the lifeline of five other countries,” he said.
Linter also underlined India’s requirement for India for a water-sharing agreement with China, which could be a “bilateral conflict” between the two neighbors.
China not only wants to become a power giant by constructing a dam in Medog County, but it also plans to transport the water of Yarlung Tsangpo to the yellow river through several tunnels, writer and journalist Cloud Arpi said at his virtual address at the conference.
Chairman of Brahmaputra Board, Dr. Ranbir Singh said that the Brahmaputra Basin is the only water-surples river basin in India, which is lacking water.
“With this dam in China, are we looking at a water-lacking Brahmaputra river basin or other implications in the future-these are questions that need to be addressed by a proper scientific study,” he said.
Singh also underlined the need for a multi-dimensional strategy, including extending the former against the project, gaining support in international circles and through cooperation.
IIT Guwahati professor Anamika Barua said that there is a lack of information difference and transparency in China’s favor with the neighboring country “data not shared”.
He said, “We do not have enough scientific data or equipment to measure the real impact that will be on the world’s largest dams,” he said.
Experts from Vietnam, Nepal and Bhutan also attended the conference with other experts with ecology, water resources management, international relations, environment law, engineering, policy making, governance and economy domains.
The conference organized by the think-tank ‘Asian Sangam’, demanded a promotion of a collaborative dialogue among government agencies, civil society organizations, environmental doctors and academics on the immense challenges presented by the proposed dam in Tibet, which is amidst disorganized threat to climate change.
He said that Asian Sangam Director Sabyasachi Dutta said that the need for hours is a more scientific study launched by India which will help develop a solid base for international support against China’s proposed dam in Big Bend.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
