Geopolitics

Tibetan Water- China’s Resource or Global Common: Concern for India!
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Issue Net Edition | Date : 07 Feb , 2018

Historically water has been the most important resource, strategic tool and cause of many conflicts before oil became strategically relevant in 19th and 20th Centuries.  By next one or two decades, the history will repeat itself because of shortage of water to satisfy growing population, and its potential of being used as a strategic tool will soon make it a burning issue in international relations.

China’s Water Shortage

According to the World Bank, China’s per capita water availability is about one-third of what’s available to the rest of the world. In other words, China has to accommodate one-fifth of the world’s population on 1/20th of its water. With growing population, urbanization, and industrialization, it needs more water supplies. It has therefore embarked on highly ambitious and technologically challenging projects to  physically divert trillions of gallons of water from the relatively water-rich South to the water starved northern regions. These projects are complex technological as well as financial challenges for China, and it is leaving no stone unturned to make them succeed, because the need of drinking water is inescapable.

While the projects involving Yangtze or Yellow Rivers do not affect India, but the Three Gorges Dam and tunneling project to Xinjiang would affect South Asia adversely. As it is most of the rivers in China are polluted, but the pollution getting passed over to India would be a serious concern. The displacement of original residents of these areas due to rerouting of the rivers, and deployment of technical and project related manpower may also add on to its effort to alter the demography of Tibet leading to further sinicisation of Tibet.

Indian Concerns

In end November 2017, alarm bells were ringing due to unusual extra silting of Siang River. Up to ten inches of sediment accumulated on some stretches of the riverbed with fishes dying. The State Water Quality Testing Laboratory (SWQTL) declared the water is unfit for human consumption. A little earlier the news about Chinese engineers testing techniques to build a 1,000km tunnel to divert the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southern Tibet to the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang led to enormous concerns shown by India and Bangladesh, due to the fear water shortage/ polluted water in lower riparians. There was adequate room for suspicion about the connection between the two, although China denied it later. Some also seem to suggest that an earthquake of in Nyingchi region of Tibet on November 18 could have a connection with it.

From Chinese point of view if Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), (which has been enshrined in their constitution) has to succeed then Xinjiang including Taklimakan Desert( having 90 percent area unsuitable for human settlement) has to be developed as a major transit and population hub to connect with CAR and further West, which is not possible without adequate water.  If it is inescapable, Yarlung Tsangpo River, which becomes Brahmaputra River after it enters India, is an obvious major source. Although China may claim it not be a cost effective and technologically feasible venture today, but it would be difficult for China to resist such a venture, once the technology matures. In case nuclear technology is used for tunneling, the seriousness of concern for pollution multiplies manifold.

It may be noted that Brahmaputra River accounts for 29% of the total run-off of India’s rivers, is key to India’s river linking project and Brahmaputra basin possess about 44% of India’s total hydropower potential.  It also needs to be noted that Indian requirement of water will be double of existing requirement, but the sources will not expand in the same proportion, unless concerted action is taken.  The rising demand and extensive use coupled with climate change will further aggravate security problems in India.

No Water Treaty with China:  Isn’t it too dangerous for India and South Asia?

China does not have any water treaty with India, which gives enough leverage to it, to restrict flow of water through dams and water diversion projects on Yarlung Tsangpo River/ Brahmaputra River affecting lifeline for Indian Northeastern states and Bangladesh. Lack of water treaty between India affects other rivers like Indus, where, Pakistan can also be affected besides India (being the middle riparian). While India has been responsible enough to treat water as ‘Global Common’, and has signed the treaty with Nepal, Bangladesh as well as Pakistan, but China despite having established sovereignty over Tibet in 1951, is yet to sign a treaty with India.

China is an upper riparian on the Indus, Brahmaputra, Mahakali, Gandaki, and Kosi Rivers, all of which originate in Tibet. Public statements indicate that China believes in a policy of absolute sovereignty over these rivers and does not want itself to be tied to any kind of water sharing arrangement. It gives rise to a suspicion that China may use it as a strategic weapon by reducing its flow into India by excessive damming with an excuse of moving towards clean energy (hydropower from coal), or by river linking /diversion projects, at a time when India needs it most, or cause excessive flooding when India does not need it.

In future water will be as critical resource as oil. The pollution of water, like the alleged case in Siang River can be used as strategic tool, although Chinese Government denied any involvement in it, in terms of tunneling or releasing the waste.

I think it is high time that India, Bangladesh, as well as Pakistan talk to China about getting into a treaty for sharing of water, which is the most important global common. It needs to be noted that India has not abrogated/tampered with Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan even during hostilities. In fact India has not being using the allotted water by the existing treaty, and when it indicated to do so, Pakistan has gone to International court of Justice. With Bangladesh, there have been some problems with Teesta water treaty, but they are surmountable.

In case of Chinese diversion of water, both India and Bangladesh will face acute shortage of water, which will strain inter se relations between India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

It is therefore necessary that water treaty must become a crucial subject of discussion with China bilaterally, as well as multilaterally between affected countries in common forums.  If China continues with the lack of transparency over its project, and chooses not to adhere to the Memoranda of Understandings, the mistrust between the countries will continue to increase and may lead to serious situations in future. It is therefore necessary for both countries to set up a joint institutional mechanism to encourage further cooperation on disaster management, climate change and environmental protection.

India needs to make a serious attempt to engage China on water issues. Maintaining only a hydrological data sharing arrangement with Beijing is not good enough. India has to realize the fact that once the water problem becomes serious, it will be very difficult to engage China because at that point of time China will not be ready to make any compromise with its own water security.

Water: A strategic Tool

Besides growing water scarcity and the measures adopted by China to use the water resource of Tibet as its sovereign property are a cause of serious strategic and security concern. While water is a global common but continued avoidance of China to enter into any bilateral/multilateral treaty with downstream countries has been causing a suspicion about its intent of using it as a strategic tool. It may cause serious water security problems to its lower riparian states like India and Bangladesh. Tibet being roof of the world is source of water to almost ten countries and 40 percent of world population including China.

Restricting sharing of hydrological data to prevent calamities and pollution of water can be another security concern. There has been suspicion expressed in various media sources that China during Doklam standoff released the hydrological data to Bangladesh much earlier than India.  While India has to pay for such data to China, but India provides it free to all lower riparian. This hydrological data is of great importance to the Indian side to predict or prepare for flood and to mitigate flood damage, as it happened in case of Pari Chu lake incident last decade, when information was provided by Chinese and a major calamity was avoided.

In absence of any water treaty, China retains the hydro-strategic leverages in respect of South Asia. When India was putting pressure on Pakistan for their terrorism support in terms of Surgical Strikes and threatening to review Indus Water Treaty, China is believed to have blocked a tributary of Brahmaputra in Tibet. It was noticed as a show of support for Pakistan. The 4.95-billion-yuan project ($740 million) can store up to 295 million cubic meters of water. With such storage of water China will have some capability to release extra water when India does not need it, and stop the same when it faces water shortage. Pollution of water is another concern which lower riparian have to watch out. It is therefore necessary that water treaty must become a crucial subject of discussion with China bilaterally, as well as multilaterally between affected countries in common forums.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Maj Gen SB Asthana

is a Strategic and Security Analyst, a Veteran Infantry General with 40 years experience in National & International Fields and UN. A globally acknowledged strategic & military writer/analyst authored over 350 publications. Interviewed by various National and International news channels/newspapers/organisations. Currently Chief Instructor, USI of India, the oldest Indian Think-tank in India. On Governing/Security Council CEE, IOED, IPC, ITVMNN and other UN Organisations. On Advisory Board of SWEDINT, member EPON. Expert Group Challenges Forum, Former Additional Director General Infantry. Awarded twice by President of India, United Nations, former Prime Minister Maldova and Governor of Haryana.

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4 thoughts on “Tibetan Water- China’s Resource or Global Common: Concern for India!

  1. Chinas plans for itself should not affect Indian Sub-continent. This will be an act of War. Enough reason to go aggressive on China and start actively hurting it at every opportunity…especially with our latest Nukes primed and ready for trouble. Let China push its luck. India must not hesitate in destroy this hateful evil bullying nation. India must get highly destructive technology that can be used against China even if it costs them an arm and a leg. They are not going to change and India must be constantly ready for War. At the same time India must take Israels help in conserving water and also on how to harvest water from air and sea surrounding India on 3 sides. That is one advantage India has and China doesnt.

  2. Beg to differ with you sir,

    Water in Brahmaputra in Assam is 60% rain and snow fell in India. India is affected but not as much as you say it will be. But consider these points.

    1. India will be less affected because 60% of water is its own.
    2. Bangladesh will be more affected. Do we care because Bangladesh is blocking Indian effort to route a canal thru its territory to take access water from Brahmaputra to a Canal system in rest of India. Now we can bury this proposal.
    3. A larger dam built in upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh to store water and release it off season will generate power and reduce floods.
    4. Chinese tunnel project digging tunnel and canal about 800 km long is worthless project full of uncertainty. They are high on extra export cash hence want to spend it whether good or bad
    5. If the dam is built by Chinese where they say it will be built, it will destroy the local ecology more than it benefits eastern China.
    6. By the time water finally arrives in Eastern China, 30% is already lost in seepage and other losses, hence what they get for a trillion dollar expense is small benefit, not worth it.

    So relax, sooner than later common sense will prevail on Chinese.

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