Friday, July 7 2006 17:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: China today (July 7, 2006) said it was building a small hydro-electric station on Sutlej river in Tibet to meet the electricity needs of the local population.

"In order to satisfy the electricity needs of the local population, the Chinese side has built a small-scale hydro-electric station on the Sutlej River at Zada county recently," the Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said when asked to comment on Indian media reports on the facility on Sutlej.

"I can't understand the (Indian) media reports," the spokesperson said, referring to the reports which claimed the Chinese barrage on Sutlej may block water to India.

A leading Indian daily had reported last Friday that the idea of a barrage acoss the Sutlej was 'bad news' for the country and raises concern that Beijing may finally be controlling the flow of water into India.

She claimed China has consistently adhered to the basic principles of fair and reasonable development of trans-border rivers.

"In the process of development of trans-border rivers, the Chinese side fully considers the impact on its lower reaches," the ministry said in a statement.

It noted that the Water Resources Ministries of China and India have maintained good cooperation.

For instance, in 2005, both sides signed a memorandum of understanding on the exchange of hydrological data during the flood season on the Sutlej river and this has played a positive role in flood control in downstream areas, the statement noted.



China is constructing many dams and barrages on many of the rivers that originate from Tibet, raising concerns in downstream countries like Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand.

In the past, when the issue of China building dams and barrages on cross-border rivers were raised, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had reacted that Beijing would act in a serious and responsible manner.

"On the issue of cross-border rivers, China's attitude is serious and responsible. As an upstream country, China has always adopted an attitude of attaching equal importance to protection and utilisation and taking into full consideration the interests and concern of downstream countries," a Foreign Ministry spokesman had said in March when the issue of China building dams on Nujiang River in southwest China was raised.



"We are ready to conducted friendly consultations within the framework of regional cooperation with relevant countries on the use of water resources and protection of ecological environment of cross-border rivers," he had said in response to a question on the impact of water flow into Myanmar and Thailand due to Chinese dams on Nujiang.