Rijiju allays concerns over China's dam on Brahmaputra

As China announced the completion of a hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra river, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju Monday said the government was always in the know of the development.

"The government is aware of the construction of a dam by China on the river Brahmaputra," Rijiju told reporters here.

The Zangmu dam on the Brahmaputra - known as Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet - said to measure over 100 metres, would supply water to China's dry regions in the north, but would starve the Indian state of Assam and neighbouring Bangladesh of water in the summer months, water officials and experts said.

The dam is a source of great concern in India and Bangladesh for fears of flash floods and landslides that can potentially affect the lives of scores of people downstream.

Although India has repeatedly expressed concern about the dangers of dams on the Brahmaputra, in case of Zangmu, the minister assured that it was not a reservoir dam but a run of river project.