New Delhi: India’s neighbour, China is planning to harness the decrease reaches of the Brahmaputra river, generally referred to as Yarlung Tsangpo in China. Number of projects listed below China’s new five-year plan are going to be constructed very shut to the border of the 2 nations.
Based on the geographical location, China shares greater than 50 outstanding watercourses with over 14 neighbouring nations downstream. With such advantages, China can maintain again a significant quantity of water, upto 730 bcm (billion cubic meters) from its neighbouring nations, which may make this transfer a strategic asset.
China has at all times been thought of to be a “hydro-hegemon”. The nation has a legacy of manipulating the circulate of rivers and hydraulic engineering. China’s highly effective hydraulic paperwork goes again to 1949, when chinese language chief Mao Tse-tung got here into energy and formulated quite a few directives to harness rivers and nature. “Nature is an enemy that had to be beaten,” he used to consider. Following Mao Tse-tung’s management a various vary of investments have been made into the hydropower sector, mega dams, and water diversion projects.
These details increase extra questions on the most recent step by China to construct water projects so shut to nationwide boundaries.
Over 56% of the Brahmaputra/Yarlung Tsangpo, which is a trans-Himalayan river, flows in Chinese territory. As the river crosses the Himalayan crestline, it receives annual rainfall of about 2,000-2,100 mm, which ends in swelling of the river line whereas getting into India. Data means that annual outflow of Yarlung Tsangpo from China is lower than that from India’s Brahmaputra. So, it’s secure to conclude that India has ample water on its facet to harness.
One facet to be involved over is the Northeast area’s water provide which may get by some means affected by this choice.
China’s upstream place is a actuality, however its dominance on the Brahmaputra is overstated. It’s time to de-emphasise China’s hydro-hegemony. Pursuing a extra significant water dialogue on hydrological data-sharing is important, however India would require constructing a decrease riparian coalition with Bhutan and Bangladesh on the Brahmaputra.
