Opinion By the Brahmaputra
A transnational river authority is needed to prevent conflict and develop the river basin
The completion of the Zangmu dam on the Tibetan Plateau has revived the debate over the ecological impact of damming the Brahmaputra. China has argued that Zangmu is a run-of-the-river project on the Yarlung Zangbo — the Brahmaputra in India — which will not have any impact downstream. But many in India aren’t convinced, because of China’s refusal to be open about its dams, despite the the two nations setting up an expert-level mechanism in 2007 to share river flow data and signing a bilateral agreement last year to provide information on dams on the Brahmaputra. New Delhi must move beyond a bilateral approach and convince Beijing of the need for a transnational body, with representatives from Bangladesh and Bhutan as well, to monitor and develop the Brahmaputra basin in a comprehensive and transparent manner.
Reportedly, China plans to construct a series of dams on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra. There is concern that so many dams would reduce the flow into India and upset the flood patterns of the Brahmaputra. India’s response to Chinese dam building has been to propose over 150 hydro-power projects in Arunachal and Assam. Studies have revealed that water availability in the Brahmaputra has declined in recent decades, while reports suggest that China has plans to transfer huge volumes of water from rivers in Tibet to the water-scarce Yellow River basin. Communities living in the Brahmaputra basin have over the centuries adapted to the ebb and flow of this gigantic river. Any radical change in its flow would have a catastrophic impact on lives and livelihoods in the Northeast and Bangladesh.
Water could become a source of great conflict in the Himalayan region in the absence of careful planning. Unsustainable exploitation of the Brahmaputra could trigger major ecological changes in the seismically sensitive region. Indeed, nations need water and power, but river management is about more than mere dam building. Institutional mechanisms that would ensure more transparency in river basin management could help build trust among countries and facilitate the development of this large region, which includes some of the poorest people in the world. There is a need to go beyond the narrow nationalist approach.
Share
