Taking up concerns on Brahmaputra river with China: Govt tells Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, Dec 11: India has urged China to ensure that interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas of the Brahmaputra river, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

In a written reply, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh told the Rajya Sabha that the government carefully monitors all 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.

"India has urged China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas," Singh said.

The Minister said the 'outline of the 12th Five Year Plan for national economic and social development of the people's republic of China' indicates that three hydropower projects on the main stream of the Brahmaputra river in Tibet autonomous region have been approved for implementation by the Chinese authorities.

"According to reports, one power generating unit of the Zangmy hydro electric project has been operationalised in November 2014," he said in his reply. He added that the two countries during the Vice President's visit to China in June, signed the implementation plan for provision of hydrological information of the Brahmaputra river in flood season by China to India.

The matter of further strengthening bilateral cooperation on trans-border rivers was also discussed during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in September 2014.

PTI