China's Brahmputra plans not worrisome: Krishna

The central governmnet today dismissed concerns raised by the Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi over China's proposed plans to divert the course of the Brahmaputra river.

External affairs minister S M Krishna told Gogoi that a close monitoring of developments on the Chinese side has shown that the proposed project would not adversely impact the flow of water to Assam.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Gogoi said: "We discussed the reported diversion of water by China. Krishna explained that there is a concern but he also said there will be no impact on Assam's share of water."

"I am convinced Chinese dam construction will not have any impact, neither ecological, nor on river flow. I am convinced it's a run of the river project," Krishna told reporters today.

"I explained to the chief minister that we understand Assam's anxiety on this issue. I would reiterate we have been monitoring developments through satellite imagery and through our interaction with Chinese authorities. China says it is run of the river project, so the question of storage or diversion of water doesn't arise. We have made our own verifications." the minister added.

An earlier statement by the ministry had also termed China's plan for the construction of a dam as no cause of concern.

"It is a fact that China is constructing a dam at Zangmu in the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra River. We have ascertained from our own sources that this is a run of the river hydro-electric project, which does not store water and will not adversely impact the downstream areas in India," the statement said.

The Brahmaputra, which flows into India from Tibet, is considered the lifeline of Assam.