Arunachal BJP MLA urges taking up China’s under-construction mega dam issue with Centre

ITANAGAR — Former Union Minister and sitting BJP MLA Ninong Ering on Friday expressed concern over the under-construction mega dam by China near Arunachal Pradesh, and urged the state government to take up the issue with the Centre.

Participating in the motion of thanks to the governor’s address in the assembly, Ering, told the House that the dam might pose the threat of a flood-like situation in Arunachal Pradesh.

“Not only India, the construction of the dam might also affect Bangladesh,” said Ering, who was elected to the House from the Pasighat West assembly seat in East Siang district.

He said: “People cannot trust China. We never know what they can do. They may either divert the entire river flow drying up Arunachal’s Siang district or release water all of a sudden causing unprecedented floods and havoc downstream.”

Ering, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP earlier this year, said that with the motto of ‘Nation First’, people’s interest and their safety and the country’s security cannot be negotiated.

Noting that there is no water treaty between India and China, Ering suggested that it was high time for a proper water treaty with the neighbouring country to protect the downstream section and flood plains of the state in particular and other downstream states of the country in general.

“Hydropower is Arunachal Pradesh’s key resource and it would help the country to a great extent in fulfilling energy security,” the veteran politician said.

According to various reports, China is building a mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Medog, near the international border.

Tsangpo River is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam and Jamuna in Bangladesh and it flows through the neighbouring country (Bangladesh) before joining the Bay of Bengal.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu had in September last year proposed to the Central government the construction of a large barrage on the Siang river in Arunachal to keep the area secure in view of the potential threat from the huge dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river.