Dhaka seeks Brahmaputra dam info from Beijing

Water resources expert emphasises transparency on info sharing

Bangladesh has sought information from China with regard to a huge hydropower dam at the upstream of River Brahmaputra that has now been fully operational.
According to media reports run by different media outlets on Tuesday, the dam at Zangmu in Tibet on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra, or Yarlung Zangbo as it is known in China, is now fully operational in all of its six units.
“We have sought information from China about the dam,” Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud told The Independent yesterday when asked for his comments about the commencement of full operation of the dam that cost $ 1.5.
Originating from China, Brahmaputra entered Bangladesh through India.
In the dry season, Bangladesh needs about 1.5 lakh cusec water and 90 per cent of this water come from this, sources at the Water Resources Ministry said, adding that half of the areas of the country depend on this river.
“This is a river of huge importance for our country,” said a top official.
“We are yet to know for what purpose China has constructed this dam,” said a senior official.
“If this has been constructed for producing electricity, then it will not be a problem for us. But, if water is diverted through this dam, then there are reasons for us to be concerned,” he said.
The Joint River Commission (JRC) has been given the responsibility to gather information about the Chinese dam, said the official.
Although the JRC deals with the common rivers between Bangladesh and India, it has been tasked with seeking information on Brahmaputra from China, he said, adding that the information has been requested based on bilateral relationship.
When contacted, eminent water resources Ainun Nishat told The Independent that the impact of the dam will be more in India than Bangladesh due to distance factor.
“India’s headache is more while our headache is less,” he said
 He also laid emphasis on transparency with regard to dissemination of information about the dam to avoid any propaganda.
“We need to know what China and India are doing this in this regard,” said the former Professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and former Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University.
There is no cause for concern if it only produces electricity, he said, adding that actually a dam will be helpful for Bangladesh as water will be stored during the rainy season while the stored water will be released during the dry season.
However, he added that it will be a matter of grave concern if water is diverted through this project. To the best of my knowledge, there have been some talks about this between the governments of Bangladesh and China, Professor Nishat said.
According to media reports, the dam is Tibet's largest hydropower station which will produce 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. The first of six units had been put into work in November.
India is concerned due to this dam, but China assured that there will be no adverse effect at the downstream, said the reports.
Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam through which Brahmaputra is flown, yesterday said that the reported move to make the dam operational ‘will cause irreparable damage to Assam and other parts of the Brahmaputra basin’, stated the media reports.    

Dhaka seeks Brahmaputra dam info from Beijing

Water resources expert emphasises transparency on info sharing

Bangladesh has sought information from China with regard to a huge hydropower dam at the upstream of River Brahmaputra that has now been fully operational. According to media reports run by different media outlets on Tuesday, the dam at Zangmu in Tibet on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra, or Yarlung Zangbo as it is known in China, is now fully operational in all of its six units. We have sought information from China about the dam, Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud told The Independent yesterday when asked for his comments about the commencement of full operation of the dam that cost $ 1.5. Originating from China, Brahmaputra entered Bangladesh through India. In the dry season, Bangladesh needs about 1.5 lakh cusec water and 90 per cent of this water come from this, sources at the Water Resources Ministry said, adding that half of the areas of the country depend on this river. This is a river of huge importance for our country, said a top official. We are yet to know for what purpose China has constructed this dam, said a senior official. If this has been constructed for producing electricity, then it will not be a problem for us. But, if water is diverted through this dam, then there are reasons for us to be concerned, he said. The Joint River Commission (JRC) has been given the responsibility to gather information about the Chinese dam, said the official. Although the JRC deals with the common rivers between Bangladesh and India, it has been tasked with seeking information on Brahmaputra from China, he said, adding that the information has been requested based on bilateral relationship. When contacted, eminent water resources Ainun Nishat told The Independent that the impact of the dam will be more in India than Bangladesh due to distance factor. Indias headache is more while our headache is less, he said He also laid emphasis on transparency with regard to dissemination of information about the dam to avoid any propaganda. We need to know what China and India are doing this in this regard, said the former Professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and former Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University. There is no cause for concern if it only produces electricity, he said, adding that actually a dam will be helpful for Bangladesh as water will be stored during the rainy season while the stored water will be released during the dry season. However, he added that it will be a matter of grave concern if water is diverted through this project. To the best of my knowledge, there have been some talks about this between the governments of Bangladesh and China, Professor Nishat said. According to media reports, the dam is Tibets largest hydropower station which will produce 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. The first of six units had been put into work in November. India is concerned due to this dam, but China assured that there will be no adverse effect at the downstream, said the reports. Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam through which Brahmaputra is flown, yesterday said that the reported move to make the dam operational will cause irreparable damage to Assam and other parts of the Brahmaputra basin, stated the media reports.