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Home / IAS Preparation / India China Brahmaputra Issue

India-China Brahmaputra Issue - Learn about India-China Brahmaputra Water Dispute

Last Updated on May 15, 2023
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The India-China Brahmaputra issue has arisen due to the construction of several dams on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra River (known as the Yarlung in China). The development of hydropower bases in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river is also mentioned in China’s draught five-year plan (2021-25) and long-term targets till 2035. This has raised further concerns about China’s intentions to construct water projects close to India’s borders.

This topic of “India China Brahmaputra Issue” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination, which falls under General Studies Paper 2 (Mains) and General Studies Paper 1 (Preliminary) and particularly in the International Relations section of the UPSC Exam. In this article, we shall discuss the India-China Brahmaputra Water Dispute. China plans to build a huge dam on the river Brahmaputra & More!

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Recent News

In 2021, CWC officials informed the state of Assam of the need to establish a project in Upper Siang/Brahmaputra that would benefit the state.

  • According to officials, any effort to divert water from the Brahmaputra River would infringe upon the rights of lower riparian states like Bangladesh and India and have a negative effect on the quantity of water available in the Brahmaputra basin during the dry season.
  • This statement was issued in response to China’s alleged plan to build a super hydropower station on the Brahmaputra in Mekong, Tibet.

India-China Brahmaputra Issue
  • The Brahmaputra dispute between India and China has recently risen to the top of the list of issues where relations between the two countries are likely to deteriorate.
  • India has repeatedly expressed concern over China’s construction of several dams along the Brahmaputra river, also known as the Yarlung in China.
  • The river flows through four countries, including the world’s two most populous, China and India.
  • India and China have rapidly expanding economies and are already among the most water-stressed countries in the world.

Historical Background on India-China Brahmaputra Issue

  • In broader bilateral relations, the Brahmaputra agreement between China and India is unsatisfactory.
  • Changing monsoon patterns and melting glaciers make managing the Brahmaputra cooperatively more challenging geologically.
  • However, During the monsoon season, China has agreed to share hydrological data on the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra (YTB).
  • Additionally, the cooperation between China and India on water has completely stopped.
  • Regardless of whether it is in the Brahmaputra or somewhere else, China has shown little interest in cooperative transboundary water management.

Read the linked article for the UPSC Exam to learn more about String of Pearls China UPSC | The Pearls & the Effects on India!

What is the Brahmaputra Conflict about?

  • In 1951, China formally occupied and annexed Tibet to become a part of the People’s Republic, gaining control over important river systems and moving up to the dominant power in charge of Asia’s water map.
  • Since China is currently upriver from many of South and South East Asia’s major water sources, Beijing’s plans to construct new dams on any rivers that rise in the Tibetan highlands cause concern among its southern neighbors, including India.
  • Today, China is regarded as the country with the most dams, with some estimates putting the figure at close to half of the world’s 50,000-odd large dams.
  • China is reportedly planning to construct a new, bigger dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows down into the River Brahmaputra close to the Indian border.
  • This dam will be constructed in the Medog region, where the Yarlung Tsangpo makes a U-turn and begins its journey into India.
  • India and Bangladesh are worried about how much of the Brahmaputra’s water will be blocked by the sizable dam China plans to construct in the Yarlung Tsangpo canyon.

Brahmaputra River – Geographical Aspects

Here are some facts about the Brahmaputra River for the UPSC Exam:

About Brahmaputra River

Origin

Chemayungdung glacier (Kailash ranges of Himalayas), Manasarovar, Tibet.

What is the total length of the Brahmaputra River?

2900 Km

The Brahmaputra River flows through which countries?

Tibet, Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh.

What is the catchment area of the Brahmaputra River?
  • In Tibet is 2, 93,000 Sq. Km
  • In India and Bhutan is 2,40,000 Sq. Km.
  • In Bangladesh is 47,000 Sq. Km.

How big is the Brahmaputra river basin?

5,80,000 Sq. Km

How long is the Brahmaputra River in India?

916 Km

The Brahmaputra River flows through which Indian states?

The Brahmputra River flows through Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, West Bengal, and Sikkim.

What are the major hydroelectric power projects/ dams on the Brahmaputra River in India?
  • Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project
  • Ranganadi Dam
  • Rangit Dam
  • Dibang Dam

What is the name of the Brahmaputra and Ganga delta?

Sunderban Delta

What are the major tributaries of the Brahmaputra River?

Right Tributaries

  • Kameng
  • Manas, Beki
  • Teesta
  • Subansiri
  • Pagladia
  • Sonkosh, etc.

Left Tributaries

  • Lhasa
  • Nyang
  • Parlung
  • Zangbo
  • Lohit
  • Nao Dihing
  • Dangori
  • Disang
  • Dikhow
  • Dhansiri, etc.

What is the present condition of the Brahmaputra River?

  • The Brahmaputra river basin spans Tibet (China), Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh, covering an area of 5,80,000 square kilometers.
  • According to India’s Ministry of Water Resources, 50% of the total catchment area of the Brahmaputra River is in Tibet, 34% in India, and the remaining in Bangladesh and Bhutan.
  • The basin is primarily covered by forest, covering 55.48% of its total area, and water bodies make up 5.79%.
  • The Brahmaputra receives 40% of its water from Tibet and 60% of it from India, according to the Central Water Commission (CWC).
  • Furthermore, the Brahmaputra has a 15,000-20,000 MW hydropower generation capacity.
  • Arunachal Pradesh has the most hydropower generation potential.
  • India’s plan to establish a prior-use claim will be impacted by delays in the region’s hydropower projects, particularly on rivers originating in China.

Brahmaputra River Importance to India

  • India has 17% of the global population and 4% of the world’s water resources.
  • It is severely water-stressed, and most urban areas face water shortages during the summer.
  • The Brahmaputra River flows through a region of Assam and Bangladesh that receives a lot of rain; it is more crucial for inland navigation than irrigation.
  • The Brahmaputra is navigable throughout Assam, upstream to Dibrugarh, and downstream to the Bengal Plain, 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) to the Bay of Bengal.
  • Recently, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) plans to operate the Indo-Bangladesh protocol Route on a scheduled sailing between NW1 and NW2, ushering Assam and the Northeast of India into a new era of inland water transportation.
  • In addition, an ambitious north-south river-linking project has been proposed in India. However, it has been criticized for having the potential to disrupt fragile ecosystems.

Importance to China

  • Nearly 20% of the world’s population lives in China, which has only 7% of the world’s water resources and is also severely polluted due to rapid industrialization.
  • China’s southern regions have abundant water resources compared to its water-scarce northern regions, and to address this issue.
  • Furthermore, as the upstream country, China controls more than half of the Brahmaputra basin.
  • Thus, China intends to build canals, aqueducts, and other linking projects to connect the major rivers in these regions to secure its water supply and manage the flow of water without consulting its southern neighbors.
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Legal Provision Governing Water Sharing of Brahmaputra
  • The trans-border rivers that flow from China to India are classified into two groups:
  • On the easter side, The Brahmaputra river system consists of Siang (Brahmaputra’s main stream) and its tributaries, Subansiri and Lohit.
  • The Indus River system consists of Indus and Sutlej on the western side.
  • The Government of India signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China in 2002 in exchange for China providing hydrological information on the Yaluzangbu/Brahmaputra River during flood season to India.
  • According to the Memorandum of Understanding terms, the Chinese side regularly provides hydrological data (Water Level, Discharge, and Rainfall) to Indian authorities during the monsoon season (15th May to 15th October every year).
  • In this connection, MoUs were also extended in 2008, 2013, and 2018.

How China’s Dam on the Brahmaputra River Will Impacts India?
  • In 2021, China formally approved the outline of its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which prioritizes several key strategic hydroelectric projects on the Brahmaputra River.
  • It is the ambitious scheme of Chinese hydrological engineers to redirect water from the south to the north.
  • India has always openly expressed legitimate suspicions regarding China’s dam-building endeavors.
  • India will be affected by China’s dam on the Brahmaputra River in the following ways:
  • According to experts, China could reduce water flow downstream, particularly during the dry season.
  • India is also concerned about the release of water during the monsoon season when floods occur in northeastern states such as Assam.
  • If China releases water from the dam, the consequences for an already flooded Assam could be disastrous.
  • Through the construction of dams, canals, and irrigation systems, China can use water to influence a co-riparian state, whether during a time of war or peace.
  • Even experts have noted that constructing a dam might result in the river losing its silt and lower agricultural productivity.
  • To safeguard their interests, India is not taking any chances this time and has already started planning a 10,000 MW multipurpose hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The risks posed by large dams constructed in such seismically active regions are raised by this, which is cause for grave concern.
  • All of Planned China’s hydropower projects, particularly those near Great Bend, are in a highly volatile tectonic zone where the Indian Plate meets the Eurasian Plate, making them extremely earthquake-prone.
  • In 2008, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the eastern edge of Tibet resulted in the collapse of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, which caused the death of numerous lives.
  • Suppose the Great Bend hydropower proposal is executed. In that case, not only Arunachal Pradesh but also the entirety of northeastern India will have to deal with the constant threat of mammoth-sized water reservoirs breaking at any moment.

Conclusion

The India-China Brahmaputra issue will remain inextricably linked to Sino-Indian tensions, owing to investments in water infrastructure. Thus, the Brahmaputra River has long been without a formalized water management system because of the border dispute and the lack of trust between the two countries.

Previous Year UPSC Questions

Q1. ‘China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia’. In light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbor. (UPSC Mains 2017, GS Paper 2).

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Download the PDF on India- China Brahmaputra Issue notes for UPSC Exam here.

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India China Brahmaputra Issue FAQs

India has repeatedly expressed its concern about China's construction of a number of dams along the Brahmaputra River, also known as the Yarlung in China.

Nothing significant will occur. More than 60% of the Brahmaputra's water comes from the Eastern Himalayas, all of which are in Arunachal Pradesh.

China's state-owned media revealed plans in November 2020 to build a massive 60-gigatonne "super hydropower dam" on a section of the Brahmaputra River (Yarlung Tsangpo river) in China's Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).

The Brahmaputra River is known as the Tsangpo throughout its upper course, but it is also known by its Chinese name (Yarlung Zangbo) and other local Tibetan names.

The Brahmaputra River flows through China's Tibet Autonomous Region, India's Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and Bangladesh.
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