Brahmaputra recedes in Arunachal, MP sends letter to PM on China tunnel
Guwahati, Nov 27 (IBNS) : Raising the fear of possible diversion of Siang river (Brahmaputra) following the Chinese act of tunnelling in Tibet, an Arunachal Pradesh MP has recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing him to raise the issue in international forum.
Ninong Ering, a Lok Sabha member, representing Eastern Arunachal constituency, has recently written to the PM, stating that the the water level of the Siang is dramatically receding and there has been a sudden change in the water quality.
He said this is unusual in the winter season.
“The recent report said that the Chinese government has constructed a 1000 km- long tunnel – the world’s longest - to divert the Siang river (Tsangpo in Tibet) from Sangri in Sothern Tibet to the Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang, which is likely to be true though the Chinese government has denied it,” Ninong Ering said.
The letter, sent on November 25, says that the report of Tsangpo (Siang/Brahmaputra) being diverted had appeared few months ago. Though China denied it, the matter remains an issue of concern with the river suddenly undergoing a change in its appearance and character.
“After the report appeared the river Siang has become muddy and slushy. It is already two months that the Siang has turned black and contaminated. It is an unusual phenomenon. The reason for the river getting dirty is unknown. I have already put questions for discussions in Parliament under rule 377."
"But since it is not in session, I am requesting you to use your good office to seek the reason of the river being muddy in this season where the water is crystal clear. Construction of a 600- km long tunnel has already started in the Yunnan province as a rehearsal,” Ninong Ering said in his letter.
The Arunachal Pradesh MP further said there is no other reason for the mighty Siang, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, getting dirty in the month of November than a heavy land excavation in the Chinese side and that has to be verified by an international team.
“When I saw the water, it looked like cement mixed water. It is a very serious issue and the Centre must take it seriously,” the MP said.
Ninong Ering said a large number of fish has also died in the Siang river in recent times and he got it confirmed from Tuting and Geling areas in Upper Siang district close to China border.
He has also appealed to the External Affairs ministry and the Water Resources ministry to expedite measures to check the diversion.
Earlier, media reports said that China is planning to build a 1000- km long tunnel to divert water from the Brahmaputra river (Tsangpo) in Tibet close to Arunachal Pradesh to the parched Xinjiang region.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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