Satellite images show China diverting and polluting Brahmaputra river water

New Delhi: Amid reports of China’s intent to divert and pollute the water of river Siang that is flowing in the country, China has denied plan of constructing a tunnel to divert Brahmaputra water.

Locally called river Siang (Xiang) is a tributary of river Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.

The river water is getting polluted affecting the aquatic life that has already killed animals and birds in the region.

Group Satellite Imagery Expert Colonel Vinayak Bhat (Retd.) spoke to India Today and said, “China has stopped the water of Brahmaputra completely. At a place 60 km away into the territory, that is where they have constructed their dam of almost 200 m wide and the blockage is almost 900 m in length along the river, the entire water force has been channeled under the mountain through two tunnels which are almost 50 m wide and the entire river has been diverted through the mountains and it comes out almost 900 m on the north of that particular point.”

Explaining further, Bhat said: “What is happening today is that they are using polymer resin adhesives, which are used generally in big projects for dust suppressants, on this particular project. It’s flowing along the water and whatever earth excavation they are doing in the tunnels, is probably being thrown into the water to evade the activity.”

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“It will affect the animals and the humans. At least, humans can see and understand, but the animals down below, they will not even understand what they are drinking. They cannot make out the difference. And if they drink, the fishes, everything; all the animals down below and obviously the agriculture is going to be affected in India,” Bhat said.

According to him, this project did not come overnight and has been camouflaged by the Dragon.

“Probably they have taken about a year or so to construct this particular dam because earlier the satellite images have not shown this area. But then this time, it is very clearly visible in October to December images, that they have stopped the entire river flow of Brahmaputra which is called the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet. It is a trans-boundary river and it is illegal to stop it completely like this,” justified Colonel Vinayak Bhat.

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“India should go into the international forums as much as possible and inform people and bring down pressure on China in some other ways. We have so many things that they are trying to pressurize us only for 300 to 400 m in Doklam area, where we can tell China and try to do some kind of diplomatic manoeuvre. That’s what we must do. The Indian government is saying that it’s their territory and we really can’t do anything about the build up. But then this is too close for comfort. It is very very serious. Tomorrow after the winters finish, we might have a situation which we’ll not be able to handle,” Bhat said.