According to the official website of the Chinese embassy in India, Spokesperson of the embassy Counselor Xie Liyan made a clarification on the water quality problems in some sections of the Brahmaputra River on January 2.

Xie Liyan said that according to investigations by relevant departments of China, at 6 o’clock in the morning on November 18, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Milin County in Nyingchi City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The Yarlung Tsangpo River Canyon region was seriously affected by the earthquake, resulting in shattered land surface, reduced vegetation, and soil exposure. A large number of landslides and collapses along the river have had a direct impact on the water quality of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, and water in the Medog section of the Yarlung Tsangpo River turned turbid indeed.

Xie Liyan pointed out that through satellite images and hydrological data analysis, there have been no large-scale human activities around relevant sections of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The change of color of water in the lower reaches of the river should have been caused by natural factors including earthquakes, rather than man-made incidents, and there were no artificial lakes in relevant parts of the river. The Chinese side will keep in contact with India on cross-boundary river issues through existing channels.

Editor: Tommy Tan.