BEWARE OF CHINA’S WATER
POLITICS
India has to
remain vigilant. We have to be ready to face situations when China causes large
water-level fluctuations downstream by its reservoir operations, or diverts
lean season flows. It can disrupt this country’s hydro-projects
The Chinese state media has recently reported about the
opening of a 117km new highway to Medok in the Nyingchi Prefecture, close to
its eastern border with India, providing all-weather access to this region from
every county in Tibet. While the benefits of the highway facilitating better access
to healthcare and in making the commodities cheaper, have been
highlighted, the strategic importance has been down-played intentionally
by the news agencies. Earlier, an airport had also been constructed in this
Prefecture at an altitude of 2949m .
Medok
is situated near the Great Namcha Barwa Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo (the
Brahmaputra in India) where the proposed 40,000MW hydro-project planned
by China would be sited to generate power and divert the Brahmaputra waters to
its arid north. The road and airstrip will facilitate movement of material and
machinery for the speedy execution of the planned project.
The
mega-project and others planned and under construction in the Yarlung Tsangpo
have raised many concerns for the downstream riparians like India. However,
Beijing has been repeatedly assuring India that its projects, being
run-of-the-river schemes having no storage provisions, will not reduce the
downstream flows as they have taken a ‘responsible attitude’ to cross
border-river development.
Even
in the recently concluded summit level talks between the Prime Ministers of
both countries, India raised its concerns on China’s plans on common rivers
like the Brahmaputra. But the joint statement released after the summit makes
no mention on the issues related to water-sharing, even though the subject of
trans-boundary rivers has been referred to as ‘assets of immense value to the
socio-economic development of all riparian countries’.
China always insists that it has no plans to
divert the Brahmaputra waters. But the experts of the Chinese Society for
Hydropower engineering have acknowledged that research was carried out on the
possibility of generating power at the Great Bend. Also, the People’s Daily reported
that an expert team had been to the site to prepare a feasibility report for
the project.
In 2003, the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua,
reported on the proposal of Tsangpo Water Diversion Scheme, which will
have a power plant of 40,000MW to utilise the potential of the river falling
through 3,000m and would have provisions to divert water to the north-west
Provinces of Xinjiang and Gansu. The map of Grid Corporation of China for 2020
also indicates the Great Bend area connected to the rest of the Chinese power
supply. Hence, it is certain that China is keeping a discreet silence on this
project till it is ready to implement it.
As
per recent reports, the present leadership is aiming to boost China’s total
power capacity to 1,500GW by 2020, as against the present 1,060GW. According to
China’s Centre of Energy Economics, hydropower is the only choice. Hence, China
believes it has every right to build dams within its territory and is not
answerable to India, as there are no treaties between the two on
using trans-boundary rivers. There’s just an understanding on sharing
data on river flows. Considering the likely impact on projects downstream due
to the proposed water diversions, India must prevail upon Beijing to sign
a treaty on sharing the trans-boundary rivers.
While
diplomatic efforts to get China sign the agreement should be
vigorously pursued, India must also take action to protect its interests, since
Beijing always plans its infrastructure projects for dual use — to meet
the requirements of peace-time and war situations.
Past
experience with China has taught us to remain vigilant. We have to be ready to
face situations when China causes large water-level fluctuations downstream by
its reservoir operations, or diverts lean season flows, thereby
necessitating our hydro-schemes to be shut down; also when it opens all
the gates of its projects releasing heavy flood flows, vast areas downstream
will be submerged. Unfortunately, there are no major reservoirs in the river to
even out the water-level fluctuations and to absorb floods. Hence, we must get
ready with alternatives to deal with such emergencies, instead of waiting for
China’s good will.
Indian
experts have prepared a detailed project report for a major dam on the
Brahmaputra with adequate flood-storage provisions. Unfortunately, authorities
are going slow in implementing it, citing environmental concerns. However, in
view of its strategic importance, we should complete the project on a
war-footing. The havoc experienced in the past by States in the Mekong basin
due to indiscriminate operation of Chinese projects, and our own experience of
devastation in 2000 due to a dam breach in Tibet, should be an eye-opener.
(The writer
is a former Member Secretary, Indian National Committee on Irrigation and
Drainage, Central Water Commission)4
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