Assam Tribune
Staff Reporter
December 11, 2015
The State Government has conveyed its concern to the Centre with regard to the big dam and hydroelectric power projects being undertaken by China in the upper reaches of Brahmaputra in Tibet.
Replying to a point raised by AGP MLA Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in the Legislative Assembly today, Water Resources Minister Basanta Das said that environmentalists and experts have expressed concern over Chinese activities in the upper reaches of Brahmaputra.
“Our Chief Minister has also communicated with the Central Government to express concern about work being undertaken by China to build dams on the Brahmaputra in Tibet. When Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister he had taken up the matter with the Chinese Government. However, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China in May this year, he did not take up the issue with the Chinese leaders,” Das said.
He added that Chinese hydroelectric projects could cause damage to Assam by changing the flow of river water.
Earlier, citing a report in The Assam Tribune, Mahanta raised the issue of dams being constructed by China on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet.
Mahanta said this could aggravate the erosion problem in the State and may even lead Brahmaputra and its tributaries to change direction and cause untold damage and miseries in the State.
