WATER POLITICS

World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, formerly known as World Wildlife Fund, named the Indus River as one of the world’s ten rivers most at risk. The Indus which already faces an acute shortage of water flow due to climate change suffered more obstruction after China built a dam on the dying river (in Ngari, Western Tibet) without informing the downstream countries India and Pakistan.

So far China has dammed every major river and its tributaries in Tibet and has unveiled plans to construct even more dams in the coming years. In its 12 Five Year Plan (2011 – 2015), hydropower projects are to be prioritized and those that are not completed during its previous five year plan are now scheduled.

The Chinese dam building boom and its water transfer projects are creating additional worries to the lower riparian states, especially in India where it was estimated that by 2030 the water demand will be higher by 50 percent from the current demand of 740 billion cubic meters.

The Zachu or Mekong River, originating from central Tibet through Yunnan Province in China and then flowing through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and finally ending its journey in Vietnam is the lifeline for the Mekong region countries. This river directly supports approximately 70 million people along its basin from fishermen to farmers. The damming activities along the upstream of Zachu/Mekong have significantly affected the flow volume of the river. So far, the China has in total 21 Hydro Power Projects on Zachu either built, under construction and under active consideration in Tibet alone.

Water user community downstream are turning their frustration on the Chinese government whose damming projects on the upstream Mekong River has greatly affected their lifestyles. Fishing boats are seen stranded on the shores of dried Mekong River in Mukdahan Province and at Nakhon Panam in Thailand. The livelihoods of the local fishermen and many other communities from Cambodia are threatened by the reduced flow of the river but their concerned voices are muffled by the aid their government receives from China.

Green NGOs in China believe hydropower projects could bring economic development, but not necessarily to the benefit of local people. They believe that today’s insufficiently transparent policymaking mechanisms are maximizing the interests of hydropower industry, officials and a small number of experts, while driving ecological destruction, affecting local livelihoods and increasing the risk of geological disasters.  Chinese government policy is that the hydropower is the cheapest source of electricity.

Not only are these rivers and tributaries dammed for generating electricity but some are also polluted with chemicals and other toxins dangerous for human consumption.  For instance, the tap water of Kumbum monastery in Amdo detected high

concentrations of lead (Pb) due to a mining activity. This is not an isolated episode, similar cases of mining chemicals polluting the natural water supply are common where ever mining activities are prevalent.

Growing industrialization, population growth, and increasing levels of consumption are placing heavy demands on water resources, which provide vital support for the subsistence livelihood to millions of people. Currently, there exists no regional framework or forum for South and East Asian nations to discuss or negotiate over water resources, other than the Mekong River Commission which does not include China.