India, China to discuss trans-border rivers at foreign ministers’ meeting
is still waiting for China to share the hydrological data on the Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers even as the two sides prepare for the visit of Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, to New Delhi next month.
The cooperation on trans-border rivers will be discussed when Wang meets his Indian counterpart, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, during which the issue will be taken up.
Wang will be in Delhi to attend the meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) grouping.
Indian officials said although the data is useful during the monsoon season, it also helps to understand the water flow in the rivers in other seasons by factoring in developments such as artificial lake bursting, or landslip.
Moreover, not sharing the data goes against the 2013 bilateral understanding between the two sides, they said.
“The sharing of data during monsoon season helps make the flood prediction more accurate. There are means to predict the water through rainfall data, etc, but China sharing data is helpful,” said an official.
He cited the example of a lake across the Pareechu bursting in 2005 and causing major flooding in the Sutlej. “We expected that China would share the data on these two rivers in accordance with the terms of a 2013 pact. And we haven’t received any data,” said another official.
In August, the external affairs ministry said that China didn’t share the hydrological data, which was in the backdrop of a military standoff between India and China in Doklam at the India-Bhutan tri-junction.
The last meeting of an expertlevel panel, set up under the provisions of a 2006 pact, took place in June 2016.
The shared hydrological data — between May 15 and October 15 — includes water levels and rainfall with reference to the Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers.
India is expected to take up this issue under the trans-border river cooperation when the two foreign ministers meet here in December. PM Narendra Modi had an informal meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang, on the sidelines of ASEAN and East Asia summits in Manila in The Philippines.
NEWDELHI:India