Skip to content Skip to navigation

Jana Jagriti calls to Save River Brahmaputra

China has constructed two reservoirs of 42 million cubic meter and 31 million cubic meter at Great Band area, which is 60-70 kms away from village Gogring in India, said Jana Jagriti chief, Ashok Anand Singhal. Addressing the media persons at Guwahati recently, Singhal refuted China’s claim that these water reservoirs are the result of landslides. He said, this is not a landslide, but it’s man made. He added that it is well known fact that water storage facilities are needed for power project. Now China is constructing four tunnels. Tunnel one will generate 16,000 MW, while other two tunnels are of 26,600MW (13300 MW) each and fourth tunnel will generate 2,400 MW of electricity. Tunnel one of 16,000 MW capacity is now almost ready for generation.


He further added that the Government of China is building a five star hotel in this area and had constructed a cantonment to keep one division of Army for its safety at Nyingehi, 16 kms away from Great Band at Brahmaputra. Five communication towers, a mini hydro power plant and two bridges on the river have been made for the Army in order to facilitate their co-operation. Anti-missile system and missile unit is also stationed here. Rail and road links up to Great Band has been constructed. This place has no population, so this rail and road infrastructure is to support 45,000 MW Hydro power project at Great Band on Brahmaputra.


He drew attention on the reports in the media that these tunnels are for water diversion, but such reports are not appropriate. Work is going on very swiftly on roads and rail links leading to Great Band. There is Nujiang river about 160 kms ahead of the place and China has a base of Air Force at Qamdo. No construction or other activities are going on in this direction. It is not possible to connect Mekong and Nujiang rivers at Great Band. In fact, the plateau is down stairs and it is a flood prone area of China, while the dry areas of China are on Mongolian borders and Central part, where they need water. Pumping is not possible from Great Band. He wondered that in fact the government is either unaware or want to conceal the facts that work is going on to construct 11 water storages, 2 canals and 5 dams and pumping stations ahead of Great Band, where the River Brahmaputra comes from. Virtually they are preparing a model like water wheels.


China’s projects are of two kinds- one for hydro power generation and the other is more ambitious kind, i.e. massive diversion project that envisages diverting the river’s water to the arid north. There is propaganda in the media that this project would be completed in 2050. This is true, but the water diversion from River Brahmaputra project, that is small part of south to north diversion project, would be completed in 2015. This anticipation is based on the speed of their work. This work is going on since 2008 and Government of India is silent on this issue.. The Chinese are not only blocking the water of Brahmaputra, but it also seems that they are planning to block the water or rivers Indus and Sutlej. In this process, they have constructed water reservoirs and two power projects there.


River Brahmaputra used to provide as many as 78.1BCM water in monsoon and 56.12 BCM in non-monsoon days to India, but now it provides only 60 percent during non-monsoon days and in monsoon days flow is reducing by 30 percent. When all dams and water storage facilities becomes functional, we will get only 20 percent water during non-monsoon period. Therefore, it’s necessary to save Brahmaputra in our own interest. He appealed to the media to pressurize the Central government to take up the matter with the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao when he visits India.

Comments

Y. P. Sharda's picture

Certain things are not clear in this artcle.It is mentioned that four tunnels are under construction.Genaration of power requires water as well as head. It is not clers where such head is available along Tsang Po (Brahmaputra) upstream of Great bend.It is possible only if water is diverted away from the area towards Ne for a considerable. It is also felt that if it is known that four tunnels are under construction, their other details like location of power houses shold also be known. From this it can be found out whether the water is being diverted out of system or not. If ie is being done, then we have to change our present strategy of going for run of river schemes and plan storage dam where flood water can be stored and used during lean season in a regulated manner whether for power generation, irrigation or other consumptive requirements. We should not forget that Bangla Desh will suffer equally or more sand we should take them it confidence. in case of development of infrastructure in remote border areas, I do not know keep our eyes and ar not ready to learn anything from our neighbour. Y.P.Sharda

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

Bear cubs return to wild

1 May 2014 - 7:20pm | Hantigiri Narzary
Three orphaned Asiatic black bears cubs (Ursus thibetanus) were moved into the wild in Manas National Park on Thursday in Baksa district. The cubs were found alone in Mayanpara, Siyalmara and...

Photos telling the tales of harsh reality

4 Aug 2011 - 1:29pm | Abdul Gani
There are several insurgent groups in the northeast and everybody is aware of that. It is also known to all that every now and then troops of security forces are employed in this land to counter...

Amit Shah sounding panchayat poll bugle

23 Mar 2018 - 1:02pm | AT News
GUWAHATI: Brisk preparations are afoot in Guwahati for the BJP rally where party president Amit Shah is sounding panchayat poll bugle on Saturday. Party leaders have been closely monitoring the...

PM, Sonia on stock-taking visit

28 Jul 2012 - 6:35pm | editor
Amid tight security, prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are on a stock-taking visit to Kokrajhar on Saturday. During the 4-hour long visit, the duo would take stock...

Other Contents by Author

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a revolutionary Act of the Government of India with tremendous potentiality of eradicating unemployment situation in the country. On February 2, 2006 first phase of NREGA implementation was started in 200 districts of the country in which seven districts of Assam were also incorporated. In the year 2007, the second phase of NREGA had started where five districts of Assam were also included. The third phase started on April 1,2008 where remaining 14 districts of Assam came under the purview of the Act. Hence, at present all the districts of Assam are implementing the provisions of MGNREGA. On March 31, 2012 Assam completed...
Citizens’ First , an NGO has demanded the land vacated by shifting of Guwahati Central Jail from Fancy Bazaar area of the city to be converted into a freedom fighters’ park with green coverage and installation of Martyrs’ column. In a memorandum submitted to the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi recently, the NGO President Jagannath Chakraborty, Working President Ajoy Dutta, Ex-MLA and General Secretary Jagannath Das have urged an important issue relating to utilization and preservation of 64 Bighas of land vacated by shifting of Central jail from the city to outside. The memorandum pointed out that the Fancy Bazaar and surrounding areas in the midst of the city...
One out of every 1000 children born, is born deaf. An undiagnosed deaf child at 3 years of age will know about 25 words, compared to over 1000 words for a hearing child of the same age. Eighty one percent of the parents of a deaf child never learn to communicate with their child. About 530 schools in India educate around 50.000 children with hearing impairment in the age group of 5 to 18 years. The other children do not receive any formal education. Ninety percent of the deaf children grow up in hearing families with little or no experience of deafness. Deaf children face a complete disconnect from the world around them. A feeling of isolation and desperate loneliness develops within the...
Established in 1901 Digboi oil refinery is not only India’s, but Asia’s first oil refinery, which is now losing its glory due to present marketing policy and mismanagement. According to the workers of the refinery the journey of oil industry in India began from Digboi in Assam. After long sixty years, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) came into existence in 1962, with its first refinery at Guwahati. Under the IOCL and even prior to that there was no effort by the management to increase the production capacity of this refinery. Whereas, for the survival of refinery its capacity should have been increased to 9 million MT, it came down to 0.65 million tons. In the meantime, the...
India has a long stretch of international borders with Bangladesh surrounding throughout north, east and west. On the north eastern part, Indo-Bangla borders in Assam, barbed wire fencing work is continue for a longtime. Despite all efforts infiltration of foreign nationals from that country is continue. In between the two countries a vast area, called ‘No man’s land’ is lying where a large number of Indian families are living and there is nobody to look after their convenience and welfare. They are Indians, but they are not independent like other Indians. According to official reports, beyond the wire fencing on the borders 448 families are land locked. Out of them...
Industrial development in India has been dependent on political influence and leadership, ever since Independence. As a matter of fact no fair policy could be framed for equal development of all the regions of the country simultaneously. That is why some of the regions remained completely neglected, while others developed beyond limitations, resulting in heavy congestions. Besides, the metropolis and a few big industrial centers of the country, where opportunities are ample for growth, there is vast disparity in establishment of industries in various regions. The industrialization of a particular area depends on the degree of political influence in its favor. Unfortunately, the...
Mismanagement, fund crunch and irregular supply of raw materials has put the Cachar paper mill on brink of closure. The employees and casual laborers of the mill are put under tight corner and the management has maintained complete silence over the whole affairs. Production of the paper mill has been confined to the tune of daily material collection from various sources. The supply of disproportionate raw materials could not ease the tension of high officials. Supply of bamboo, coal, lime etc, are urgently required to run the factory. The problems in supply of bamboo from North Cachar Hills to this mill began about three years back due to legal complexities, unwillingness of...
In spite of tall talks of Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi and the minister of health and family welfare, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, about record progress in health sector in respect of establishment of health sub centers, appointment of doctors etc; the picture in this sector is far behind the truth. Construction of hospital buildings, payment of salaries and wages, organizing public meetings about awareness and precautions against diseases, can in no case be treated as the progress in health sector. It may be mentioned here that one health sub centre is required for every five thousand population in both rural and urban areas. Against every five thousand population, doctors, nurses and...
Ubati Riang, a sixty year old lady, who played a major role in bringing Barak valley militants to negotiation table with the government, is disappointed on the role of the state government for its dillydally tactics in solution of the major issues relating to the rehabilitation of those, who came forward for the peace talks. According to her recent violent incidents in the Hailakandi district of southern Assam, were the outcome of state’s inaction as regards the solution of the issues. The Riang youths are losing heart and peace is vanishing, she was reported to have said. She said that the Riangs did not ask any thing that was not possible for the government to agree. Their...
With growing intolerance and unrest minds among the youths of the country, demand for creating smaller states is growing day by day. Recently Uttar Pradesh Assembly has adopted a resolution to divide the state into four parts namely, Purvanchal, Avadh Pradesh, Paschim Pradesh and Bundelkhand. It is realized that this situation has attained importance because of the regional disparity in growth, discrimination in all rights and privileges and sense of insecurity at the individual and community level. Most of the Indian states are politically insurmountable state of affairs to all fronts especially in respect of political and economic fields. There are imbalances and unmanageable equal...