GUWAHATI: Assam Congress on Monday accused the Centre of not taking up with China the issue of high turbidity of Siang water in Arunachal Pradesh. "We demand that New Delhi should actively engage with Beijing over the issue and work on averting any environmental disaster," state congress vice-president Pradyut Bordoloi said.
Bordoloi pointed out people living along the banks of the river Brahmaputra bank in different parts of the state have already noticed the change in colour of the water. "As Siang is one of the major tributaries of Brahmaputra, there is every possibility of the slushy water spreading downstream. Nobody knows if the water is carrying toxic material," he said.
Siang originates in the Tibetan glacier where it is known as Yarlung Tsangpo. After entering India, it flows through Yingkiong in the upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh before meeting Brahmaputra in Sadiya, Assam. The crystal clear waters of Siang had turned black a couple of months ago. East Siang deputy commissioner Tamyo Tamak had told TOI that laboratory results of the water samples had confirmed high turbidity, leading to the change in colour.
Bordoloi added, "We have been reading reports of China's plans to divert the waters of Brahmaputra in the upper reaches of Tibet. But we haven't seen any proactive move from the Centre in taking up with China the issue of high turbidity of Siang water. The lives of millions of people in the northeast, as well as wildlife, are dependent on the Brahmaputra river system. There is an urgent demand for setting up two scientific facilities in Yingkiong and Sadiya to test the Siang water for toxicity and other pollution parameters."
Bordoloi also argued that India and China should join the Espoo convention which makes it obligatory for countries to deal with transboundary environmental issues by notifying and consulting with the member parties. The convention was adopted in 1991 and implemented on September 10, 1997. Neither India nor China is a part of the convention.
He further claimed that though the Centre put a lot of effort into organizing Namami Brahmaputra, they are not addressing the Siang issue with as much seriousness. "Congress is seriously worried about high turbidity of Siang. But the Centre's lackadaisical attitude in investigating the reasons behind this environmental hazard concerns us. The external affairs ministry and Union water resources ministry should have been serious on the development," he said.
Bordoloi added that the issue of excess water flowing through Brahmaputra, which had led to floods and claimed several lives in Assam last year, was not raised with Beijing during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China in September.
Bordoloi pointed out people living along the banks of the river Brahmaputra bank in different parts of the state have already noticed the change in colour of the water. "As Siang is one of the major tributaries of Brahmaputra, there is every possibility of the slushy water spreading downstream. Nobody knows if the water is carrying toxic material," he said.
Siang originates in the Tibetan glacier where it is known as Yarlung Tsangpo. After entering India, it flows through Yingkiong in the upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh before meeting Brahmaputra in Sadiya, Assam. The crystal clear waters of Siang had turned black a couple of months ago. East Siang deputy commissioner Tamyo Tamak had told TOI that laboratory results of the water samples had confirmed high turbidity, leading to the change in colour.
Bordoloi added, "We have been reading reports of China's plans to divert the waters of Brahmaputra in the upper reaches of Tibet. But we haven't seen any proactive move from the Centre in taking up with China the issue of high turbidity of Siang water. The lives of millions of people in the northeast, as well as wildlife, are dependent on the Brahmaputra river system. There is an urgent demand for setting up two scientific facilities in Yingkiong and Sadiya to test the Siang water for toxicity and other pollution parameters."
Bordoloi also argued that India and China should join the Espoo convention which makes it obligatory for countries to deal with transboundary environmental issues by notifying and consulting with the member parties. The convention was adopted in 1991 and implemented on September 10, 1997. Neither India nor China is a part of the convention.
He further claimed that though the Centre put a lot of effort into organizing Namami Brahmaputra, they are not addressing the Siang issue with as much seriousness. "Congress is seriously worried about high turbidity of Siang. But the Centre's lackadaisical attitude in investigating the reasons behind this environmental hazard concerns us. The external affairs ministry and Union water resources ministry should have been serious on the development," he said.
Bordoloi added that the issue of excess water flowing through Brahmaputra, which had led to floods and claimed several lives in Assam last year, was not raised with Beijing during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China in September.
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