India immediately informed: China on Brahmaputra blockage

The Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Counselor Ji Rong, claimed that India was "immediately" informed about the landslide which occurred in the lower ranges of Yaluzangbu river in Tibet and caused a river blockage on the Indian side.

Counselor Ji confirmed that the river was blocked and a barrier lake was formed due to the landslides which occurred on October 17.

In official remarks released in the wake of the incident, the spokesperson added, "After the incident happened, Ministry of Water Resources of China informed the Indian side immediately and activated the Emergency Information Sharing Mechanism."

While stating that China is closely monitoring the situation, Counselor Ji said, "According to instructions from the Ministry of Water Resources of China to inform India the hydrological information of the Yaluzangbu River at emergency, the Hydrological Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region of China has begun to share with the Indian side hydrological information every hour, such as the water level and flow rate at the Nuxia hydrological station and the temporary hydrological station downstream of the barrier lake."

The Spokesperson also outlined that the Indian side will be "timely" informed about the follow-up developments through bilaterally agreed channels.

He also highlighted the Wuhan consensus, which was agreed upon by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the informal summit in Wuhan, while stating that the Chinese side has been keeping close communication with the Indian side on Yaluzangbu River hydrological information. The consensus promotes all-round cooperation between India and China.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning cross-border river cooperation was signed by Prime Minister Modi and President Xi, who had met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Qingdao Summit in June this year.

Counselor Ji further said, " I believe, with the joint efforts of both sides, China and India will carry out more positive and pragmatic cooperation in more fields and continuously push forward the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations."

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had earlier said that all relevant authorities of the central government and concerned state governments have been apprised about the emerging situation to enable them to take necessary precautionary measures, while stating that both the nations are in regular contact over the Brahmaputra river blockage that has been caused by a landslide in Tibet.