Congress MP from East Arunachal constituency Ninong Ering expressed serious concern over the change in water quality of Siang river (Brahmaputra) and the unusual receding of the river at Pasighat. He wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of India requesting him to take up the matter with the Chinese government.
The letter, sent on November 25, claimed that the report of Tsangpo (Siang/Brahmaputra) being diverted had appeared few months ago. Though China denied it, the matter remains an issue of concern with the river suddenly undergoing a change in its appearance and character. The MP was apprehensive about the change in water quality, which is unusual during the winter season, could be due to a possible diversion of the river in Tibet
Ering said, “The recent report said that the Chinese government has constructed a 1,000 km- long tunnel – the world’s longest – to divert the Siang River (Tsangpo in Tibet) from Sangri in Sothern Tibet to the Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang, which is likely to be true though the Chinese government has denied it.”
The Congress MP further said there is no other reason for the mighty Siang getting dirty in the month of November other than a heavy land excavation in the Chinese side and that has to be verified by an international team. “When I saw the water, it looked like it was mixed with cement. It is a very serious issue and the Centre must take it seriously,” the MP said.
Earlier, media reports said that China is planning to build a 1000- km long tunnel to divert water from the Brahmaputra river (Tsangpo) in Tibet close to Arunachal Pradesh to the parched Xinjiang region.