China maps Brahmaputra, Indus!

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Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu / BEIJING, August 22, 2011.

Chinese scientists have completed a first of its kind study to pinpoint the sources of the Brahmaputra and Indus rivers using satellite images, and have found that the length and drainage areas of both rivers exceeded earlier estimates.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), an official think-tank in Beijing, used remote-sensing satellite images and data from several expeditions to the Tibetan plateau to map the sources of the Brahmaputra, Indus, Salween and Irrawaddy rivers.

They located the source of the Brahmaputra, or Yarlung Tsangpo as it is known in Tibet, on the Angsi glacier on the northern side of the Himalayas, in the Tibetan country of Burang. The source of the river was earlier thought to be on the Chemayungdung glacier, further south.

The CAS study has mapped the river's length at 3,848 km, while earlier studies had estimated its length at 2,900-3,350 km. It also measured its drainage area at 712,035 sq km, with earlier estimates ranging from 520,000 sq km to 1.73 million sq km.

“Previously, the sources of the four rivers were never clearly designated, and differing accounts regarding their lengths and drainage areas confused researchers for many years due to restrictions of natural conditions and surveying and mapping technologies,” Liu Shaochuang, a researcher with the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications at CAS, was quoted as saying by the State-run Xinhua news agency.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2384885.ece?homepage=true

  

BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER: We trust China's dam will not harm India - Manmohan!

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Sujay Mehdudia / The Hindu / NEW DELHI, August 4, 2011.

A view of the Brahmaputra River. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar - The Hindu.

Stating that India “trusts China”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that China had assured India that the dam being built on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet would not harm India’s interest.

“We trust its statement. India and China are neighbours. It is in our interest to have the best possible relations with China. We have been assured by China that nothing will be done that will affect India’s interest,” Dr. Singh told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. He was intervening in the reply to a question put to External Affairs Minister, S.M. Krishna.

Dr. Singh informed the members that the construction of a dam at Zangmu, on the Brahmaputra river in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, had been repeatedly taken up with China. It is a run-of-the-river hydro-electric project which does not store water. “We trust [the Chinese statements] but also verify. China has given [us] an assurance that the dam on the river will not in anyway hurt India’s interest,” he added.

Noting that the sharing of water from the rivers which are of inter-state importance could cause problems at times, Dr. Singh said the matter should be allowed to rest with the assurance given by China. “Unnecessary provocation on either side can hurt relations,” he remarked.

Earlier, Mr. Krishna said the government was aware of the construction activity at Zangmu. India had taken up this matter China during the recent visit to India by Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao in December last year, he said. “The Government has ascertained that this is a run-of-the-river hydro-electric project, which does not store water and will not adversely impact the downstream areas in India,” he said.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2322266.ece

INDO-CHINESE ROW: Satellites to verify China's claim on Brahmaputra: India!

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June 17, 2011 / IANS, New Delhi / DC.

India on Thursday said it has satellite imagery proof that China was building only a run-of-the-river (RoR) dam for power projects on the Brahmaputra river and that it posed no threat to Assam or Arunachal Pradesh.

"India today has assets and satellites that produce superb, high-calibre imagery and we have ascertained from our own sources of information and imagery that China is only building a run-of-the-river dam at Zangmu in middle reaches of Yarlung Tsango (as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet)," a top government official said.

Stressing that the clarification this time on the Chinese dam was different, the sources pointed out that all along India had only quoted Chinese foreign minister or the prime minister's assurances in this regard to state that there was no danger of diversion of the Brahmaputra's waters.

"We don't just discuss or just trust...we also verify," the official said, noting that India had the satellite capability for the last three years now. India launched Cartosat-2 satellite, having a very high resolution, in 2007.

China is likely to complete the work on the dam by July 2012 after which the water will flow through the dam, the sources said, noting that till such time the work is complete, a temporary dam in the midstream of the river had been done to aid construction.

True, RoR Dams do not hold water nor they hinder the river flow into riparian states, but only wheel the water via the Hydroelectric turbine.

The heated debates on Channels were uncalled for and the hot debates indulged in by some of the very hot debaters are all founded on unfounded doubts and half-baked knowledge, on the issue.

while getting agitated to such possible threats is very much essential, one should be sure that their hue and cry is based on some valid doubts but not perceived ones!

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http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/satellites-verify-chinas-claim-brahmaputra-india-978