Onus on Beijing to allay India’s concerns on dam near Arunachal

THERE is no let-up in China’s strategic one-upmanship despite India’s recent efforts to reduce bilateral tensions. Beijing has initiated the construction of the $167.8-billion dam over the Brahmaputra river — locally known as Yarlung Zangbo — in Tibet, close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh. Touted as the biggest infrastructure project in the world, it is expected to generate adequate electricity through five hydropower stations to meet the annual needs of over 300 million people. However, its utility goes far beyond power generation. China is showing the lower riparian countries, India and Bangladesh, who’s the boss. There is a lurking fear that in case of a conflict, the Chinese might mess around with the water flow to India’s northeastern states, particularly Arunachal, which Beijing claims as part of ‘South Tibet’ and where it has been on a name-changing spree in recent years.

The project launch comes less than three months after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. New Delhi’s devil-may-care water diplomacy prompted Islamabad to float a “what if” balloon — China blocking the Brahmaputra’s water into India. Though India and China don’t have a formal framework on river waters, there is the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) to discuss issues related to trans-border rivers, such as sharing of flood-season hydrological data. However, no ELM meeting has been held since June 2023.

Transparency has never been Beijing’s strong suit, and this mega project is no exception. China has not only failed to allay India’s concerns about the new dam but also conveniently ignored its request for prior consultation with downstream nations. Delhi should be well prepared to safeguard its interests. It should also expedite work on its own dam over the Brahmaputra. Recent visits of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to China have signalled India’s intent to reset ties. The onus is on Beijing to take India into confidence on matters with far-reaching implications.

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