India and China- A talk over water-Cooperation and bond building.
India and China- A talk over water-Cooperation and bond building.
Authors:
(1)
Samikshya Madhukullya, M.A.in
Cultural Studies from Tezpur Central University,B. A. In History from Sophia
College, Mumbai University.
(2) Anurag Hazarika, Ph.D research scholar USTM and MBA student of KK
Handique State Open University, Assam.
Abstract:
The very
controversial and media blitzkrieg of China being starting a longest tunnel
project is a major cause of concern amongst the Indian side strategic thinkers.
Chinese engineers have submitted plan building a thousand kilometre tunnel, (to
be the world’s longest); to waters of the Brahmaputra from Tibet to arid
Xinjiang. This tunnel carry as much as
10 billions to 15 billions tons of water from the Brahmaputra to the
arid Taklamakan district in Xinjiang.
Engineers want to divert water from Shangri county in Tibet to the Indian Arunachal
Pradesh. Though the Chinese govt. says that environment evaluation has been
carried out, yet the nature and scale of the impact remains in the dark. The
plan was submitted to the Chinese govt. in March itself but hence being approved
now, the South China morning post thus reported on Monday, 30th
October, 2017. Past diversion proposals were scrapped because of high cost of
environmental situations and technical constraints. The tunnel is likely to be
another source of tensions between India and China as the plan, if approved,
would have huge ramifications for states along the eastern corridor as well as
Bangladesh.
The Yarlung
Tsangpo future zone , the young mountain and the young river system as it flows
from the third pole to the valley agrarian culture of the Brahmaputra valley.
Use of making a long tunnel to divert Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra’s water is a
disturbing piece of news . Though the Chinese Govt. though denies the report,
but this is the natural behaviour of the Chinese and the way they operates
though diverting water in a sustained activity for a while. However, the real
story never appears the like the facts is. The Chinese basically are making a
demonstrative tunnel in Yunnan province what will be the main project they are
working on. Chinese’s first project was however was to divert water from the
‘Great Bend’, but the heights were a serious obstacle. They however, did build
five(5) dams there including the Southern Tibet,
the swathe, comprising of about 3/3.5
miles high. A nomadic tribe used to live there. Oxygen decreases every 10,000
ft. So there is serious oxygen problem for people who are not adapted to this
height. So China cannot make California or Las Vegas there. Their aim is to
take water through the Yunnan tunnel. This controversial project can be
compared with the notorious ‘South China Sea’ project of China. It is a natural
phenomenon that geography does not create any barrier and knows no bounds. But
when people use it for their own strategic wins then this very geography can be
the biggest decisive factor of division.
....................................................................................................................................................
Title:
India and China- A talk over water-Cooperation
and bond building.
Authors:
(1)
Samikshya Madhukullya, M.A.in
Cultural Studies from Tezpur Central University,B. A. In History from Sophia
College, Mumbai University.
(2) Anurag Hazarika,Ph.D research scholar USTM and MBA student of KK Handique
State Open University, Assam.
Introduction:
Water is considered to be a major
source of necessity for living as well as for maritime trade and
for the economic growth of a country. Water flows across boundaries and
breaking regional geographic divisions which act as a boon as well as curse.
The regional and national divisions
have created a virtual cum real division including the water bodies that flows
across leading to water war and disputes across the region as well as with the
nations.
One such major issues that is
covering up the news is the India-China Tunnel Dispute related to the waters of
the Brahmaputra River. According to news reports, China starting a longest
tunnel project is a major cause of concern amongst the Indian side strategic
thinkers. Chinese engineers have submitted plan building a thousand kilometre
tunnel, (to be the world’s longest); to waters of the Brahmaputra from Tibet to
arid Xinjiang. This tunnel carry as much as
10 billion to 15 billion tons of water from the Brahmaputra to the
arid Taklamakan district in Xinjiang.
India Engineers want to divert water from Shangri county in Tibet to the Indian
Arunachal Pradesh.
This is a major issue that would bring about water war because –both
the countries namely India and China are areas which lacks or are scarce in
Water. According to Indian Stand the diversion of water flow of Brahmaputra
from Tibet’s Shangri to Xianjiang province in China would block the flow of
Brahmaputra river water partially or fully
which would turn the Arunachal Pradesh province of North East India
making the land dry or turn it into a desert like zone. This would also effect the
arid agricultural land of Bangladesh.
Objectives of the Study.
This paper tries to highlight and
look into few ways through which-
·
water management can prevent water war between the two nations
·
ways through which alternative
solutions of accessing water to regions lacking in water can be dealt with
·
how water can be used efficiently so that even if the Mighty
Brahmaputra gets faded out India do not have to turn into a desert.
Findings and Highlights.
·
“The proposed tunnel, which would
drop down from the world’s highest plateau in multiple sections connected by
waterfalls, would ‘turn Xinjiang into California’,” the SCMP reported, quoting
an anonymous geotechnical engineer. Xinjiang, China’s largest administrative
division, comprises vast swathes of uninhabitable deserts and dry grasslands. The
feasibility of the proposed Tibet-Xinjiang project is being tested along a
600km tunnel in China’s Yunnan region.
·
“The water diversion project in
central Yunnan is a demonstration project,” Zhang Chuanqing, a researcher at
the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, told the
SCMP. Chuanqing, according to the newspaper, has played a key role in many
major Chinese water tunnel projects. “It is to show we have the brains, muscle,
and tools to build super-long tunnels in hazardous terrains, and the cost does
not break the bank,” he said.
·
The Yunnan project comprises over
60 sections, all of which are wide enough to fit in two high-speed trains, that
will pass through high-altitude mountains. “Fault zones are our biggest
headache,” Zhang explained. “If we can secure a solution, it will help us get
rid of the main engineering obstacles to getting water from Tibet to Xinjiang.”
·
Over the years, China has
developed exceptional infrastructure-building capabilities, some of which have
been implemented in the Tibet region. “Nobody thought that there could be a
railway line in Tibet, but the Chinese government has done so. So, there
shouldn’t be any doubts about China building the tunnel,” Lobsang Yangtso, a
research associate at the non-profit coalition, International Tibet Network,
told Quartz.
·
But Yangtso warned that the Tibet
Plateau has been witnessing climate change, with water crises in many parts of
the Himalayan region. “The region is also earthquake-prone and it could lead to
a huge natural disaster,” she added. Moreover, any project that diverts water
from upstream Brahmaputra is likely to rile up both New Delhi and Dhaka, as the
river is a major water resource for both northeastern India and Bangladesh.
India has, in the past, raised objections to Chinese dams being built on the Yarlung Tsangpo.
·
“There are currently no water
treaties between India, China, and Bangladesh,” said Yangtso, whose research
has focused on Chinese environmental policies in Tibet. “India will certainly
have to take a strong stand as far as this project goes, as it can be
disastrous for India and Bangladesh.”
Keypoints.
·
China and India are water-scarce countries that will face significant
challenges to food and water security in the future.
·
As lower riparians, India and Bangladesh rely on the Brahmaputra River
for water, agriculture and livelihoods. Upstream, China holds an important
strategic advantage over the river’s flow.
·
Chinese dam-building and water division plans along the Yarlung Zangbo
(the Brahmaputra in India) is a source of tension between the two neighbours.
·
The potential for conflict over water between China and India is
increased as long as the two countries do not improve communication and
co-operation.
Analysis and Solutions-(For Water Management
and Prevention of Water War).
1.Sign Treaty
2.Build in Trade relations
3.Get in touch and develop friendly terms with nations
4.Water management skills
5.Put the issues in front of the UNO
6.Conserve water
7.Techniques to safe preserve and conserve water
8.Find ways through which water can
be bought from the available river sources in such a way that all nations get
water without disturbing other nations
9.Water shed Management projects
Conclusion-
Water
is a natural gift of nature which
may vanish due to natural calamity or
issues like global warming and other so
each and every individual has to be
aware of the uses of water and find alternative ways of dealing with water .So
Water Wars is not the solution to make a country free from water scarcity but finding alternative means of water
availability is the real challenge within nations.... So no world war for
Water....Make the world a water available place is the real Challenge.
Reference and Biibliography.
3. South China Morning
Post-“Chinese engineers plan 1,000km tunnel to make Xinjiang
desert bloom”
4.“China mulls 1,000-km
tunnel to carry Brahmaputra water”-The Tribune Daily
5. “Tunnel
or not, China is using water as a strategic weapon; India may stay indifferent
at its own peril” by First Post
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