The national river water monitoring agency, Central Water Commission (CWC) has found no evidence of China diverting the waters of the Yarlung Tsanpgo, which flows through southern Tibet into India, first as the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and then as the Brahmaputra in Assam, to build dams, according to a report that appeared in the Times of India.
It also has been unable to conclude why the Siang has turned black due to a cement like slag flowing from across the McMahon Line for over a month now, the daily quoted the CWC.
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The contamination has also been noticed in the Brahmaputra at various places in Assam. Water samples of the Siang sent to the CWC laboratory in New Delhi have tested negative for toxic content. “We were worried about the possibility of toxic content but with the negative results now the water is still fit for human consumption after proper filtering,” the daily reported quoting a central government official.
“We are yet to ascertain why the Siang turned black. The reasons have to be found inside Chinese territory. Now, we have sent samples of the black sediments collected from Siang river bed to Central Soil and Materials Research Station to find out what the slag is composed of,” the official added.
There have been several theories on the Siang river water turning black, including one that China could be building a dam across the Yarlung Tsangpo and letting the debris flow downstream.
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Another view is that China could have started executing its plan to dig a tunnel across the Yarlung Tsangpo to divert the water to its desert region.
Ironically, latest satellite imagery shows a massive new dam on the Brahmaputra river — Yarlong Tsangpo in Tibet — with an underground tunnel that seems to engulf the entire water flow for almost one kilometre.