China to consider improving Brahmaputra water mechanism

Beijing, May 10:

has responded positively to India's concerns over Beijing's plan to build three new dams over

river in Tibet by agreeing to consider improving the present mechanism on sharing of data on water flow, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said yesterday.

"We raised the Brahmaputra issue. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too raised it earlier. They had a positive response," Khurshid told the media after his nearly three-hour long talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi here.

India and China have an agreement on sharing the data of the Brahmaputra waters but do not have any treaty on sharing the river waters.

"We can look at whether the same mechanism can be enhanced and its mandate reworded and another mechanism can be put in place," he said.

"But the concerns that we have and the disquiet felt among people was referred to them and the willingness to look at how this can be suitably addressed," he said.

"I thought it was a very positive indication from them," he said adding that there was no discussion of any water treaty but only to expand the present mechanism or look for alternative mechanism to address the issues.

"The perception that they were not responding was unfair. Consultations have to take place. Fair to say there is positive looking attitude in a sense," he said.

New Delhi has said that China's plans to build dams on the Brahmaputra river would affect water flow to India while Beijing says it is just run-of-the mill project that would not hold water.

China is currently building dams at Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu in addition to a 510 MW water project at Zangmu.

PTI