The government is carefully monitoring all developments related to the Brahmaputra river, including China's plans to build hydropower projects, and is taking necessary steps to protect national interests, Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
China is constructing a 60,000 MW 'super dam' on the Yarlung Tsangpo river -- the Brahmaputra's upper reaches -- in Tibet's Medog county.
Responding to a question by TMC member Sushmita Dev, the Union minister of state for environment said the government was aware of China's announcement of a proposed mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
"The government carefully monitors all developments relating to the Brahmaputra river, including plans by China to develop hydropower projects, and takes necessary measures to protect the interests of the nation," he said in a written reply.
Issues related to trans-border rivers are discussed with China through an institutional expert-level mechanism established in 2006 and diplomatic channels, he said.
"As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, (the) government has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities and urged them to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas," Singh said.
The minister added that studies had been conducted on major tributaries of the Brahmaputra in northeast India to ascertain the cumulative impact and carrying capacity to formulate strategies to mitigate the ecological and socio-economic effects of hydroelectric projects in the river basin.
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