Newsletter No. 60; IRBMS expensive hydro-power project”, which began in Tibet in June 2014. The Xiabuqu river is one of the main tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo( Brahmaputra named in China), to build a dam as part of the Lalho Hydroelectric project at Xigase in the Tibet Autonomous region. The official reported that, the reservoir was designed to store up to 295 million cubic metres of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland. Since the 185- km Xiabuqu river isn’ t a trans-border one, it doesn’ t fall under the ambit of a bilateral mechanism to discuss rivers between China and India. The two countries have a memorandum of understanding on flood data sharing.
India and China have had several rounds of talks on the water issue since 2007 and Beijing has always attempted to play down New Delhi’ s fears that it could use strategically positioned dams to regulate water flows into India.
Pollution in Damodar River
The Damodar is the most polluted river in the country today. A number of important industries have sprouted on its mineral rich banks. Coal based industries viz government owned coal washeries, coke oven plants, major iron and steel plants; thermal power plants; zinc, glass and cement plants are situated in the Damodar valley
zone. The pollution is caused by coal mine over burden, fly ash, oil, toxic metals and coal dust. Faulty and outdated many practices, and lack of proper maintenance were compounded by corruption, inadequate pollution control and State Pollution Control Board that did nothing. The Damodar Valley Corporation( DVC) was formed in 1948 for conservation of Damodar River Water and protect the people of Damodar Valley from water realted stress like Drought & flood. But DVC themselves running Thermal power and dumping overburden in the river valley. The people living in the basin were slowly being poisoned because the Damodar and it’ s tributaries were the only source of drinking water for most people in the living area. Ten years after it investigated in the condition of the Damodar river, Down to Earth revisited the basin area to find no significant change in the status of the river.
RIVERS OF INDIA
Brahmaputra River The Beautiful River or Battleground? Part-1 The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia, a transboundary river which flows through Tibet, India and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra basin spreads over countries of Tibet( China), Bhutan, India and Bangladesh having a total area of
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Integrated River Basin Management Society