Guwahati: Assam BJP president and Mangaldoi MP Dilip Saikia urged the Centre to talk to the Chinese government to halt the construction of a massive dam on river Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet, which could put Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in danger.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Saikia said that the dam, described as the largest in the world, would put downstream regions such as northeastern India and Bangladesh in danger.
“If the Brahmaputra’s water is stopped, it would be a challenge for us as the river is our lifeline. Our culture, civilization and economic activities will be affected,” he said.
He said the site of the dam is an earthquake-prone region and is called the ‘ring of fire’.
Last year, China approved plans to build a dam over the Brahmaputra River called Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet close to the Indian border. The proposed dam will be constructed at a huge gorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then to Bangladesh.
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The estimated $137 billion project is situated in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, a seismically active area prone to frequent earthquakes due to its location along a tectonic plate boundary.
Saikia said, “The region is a high seismic zone so dams are always a matter of concern. Research should be done on what its impact would be on the people on the lower side of the Brahmaputra.”
