Khandu said, “The issue is that China cannot be trusted. Nobody knows what they will do.” He said, “Apart from military threat from China, I think it is a bigger issue than any other problem. It is a threat to existence for our tribes and our livelihood. It is a very serious issue as China can also use it as a type of ‘water bomb’.”
Khandu said that if China had signed the International Water Treaty, there would be no problem because it would have been mandatory for aquatic life to release a certain amount of water in the lower part of the basin. He said that in fact, if China signed an international water-sharing agreements, the project could have proved to be a boon for India. Due to this, the floods during the monsoon could have been stopped in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Bangladesh, where the Brahmaputra river flows.
The Chief Minister said that for this reason, after deliberations with the Government of India, the Arunachal Pradesh government has envisaged a project called Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, which will serve as a defense system and ensure water security. He said, “I believe that China is either going to start work on its own. But they do not share any information. If the dam construction is completed, then the water flow in our Siang and Brahmaputra rivers may decrease significantly.”
Asked what the government can do against this move of China, the Chief Minister said that the government cannot sit on hand by registering protests only. He said, “Who will explain to China? Since we cannot explain the reason for China, it is better that we focus on our defense system and preparations. At this time we are fully engaged in this.” The Dam of China will be built on a huge ravine in the Himalayan ranges, from where the river takes a ‘Uterne’ to flow in Arunachal Pradesh.
