Jul 17, 2014
OUTLOOK
India has urged China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activity on the Brahmaputra river in upstream areas, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Replying to a written question, Minister of State for Water Resources Santosh Kumar Gangwar said the government monitors developments on the Brahmaputra river.
“As a lower riparian State with considerable established user rights to the waters of the river, India has conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities, including at the highest levels of the government of the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
The minister also said that the government is aware of construction activity on Brahmaputra river in Zangmu on the Chinese side, which is a Run of the River (RoR) hydroelectric project.
As these four projects are considered RoR hydro-electric projects, any significant change on flow of water in northeast India is not expected, he added. To another question, Gangwar said the West Bengal Pollution Control Board has reported industrial pollution of river Churni.
“The issue of pollution of common rivers between India and Bangladesh including Churni has been raised with Bangladesh through several forums, including mechanisms under India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission and Border Security Forces-Border Guard Bangladesh level talks,” he said.
Answering to a query relating to pollution of Sarsiwa river, which originates in Nepal and flows through Raxaul in Bihar, the minister said that the Central Pollution Control Board is monitoring the water quality of the river at two stations near Raxaul.
Sarsiwa is polluted in the upstream of Raxaul due to large scale water abstraction and discharging of untreated and partially treated waste water into it and is not meeting the water quality criteria in respect of some parameters, he said.
