Parts of Arunachal on flood alert after China warning

About 6,000 people have been evacuated following a landslide in Tibet that blocked the flow of one of the region’s key rivers, China’s emergency services said Thursday. No deaths have been reported and the bureau said China has been keeping India updated on the blockage, which could potentially affect water levels in lower regions.

The landslide struck near a village in Menling County and water in the lake had risen to a height of 40 metres by Thursday.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Friday, “On 17 October 2018, the Chinese side informed us about a landslide blocking the main stream of Yarlung Zangbo/ Brahmaputra River in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Based on the information, all relevant authorities of the central government and concerned state governments have been apprised of the emerging situation to enable them to take necessary precautionary measures in this regard.”

Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong said on October 17, a landslide took place near Jiala village in Menling County in the lower ranges of Yaluzangbu River in Tibet Autonomous Region of China. “The river was blocked, and a barrier lake was formed. After the incident happened, Ministry of Water Resources of China informed the Indian side immediately and activated the Emergency Information Sharing Mechanism.”

“According to the instruction from 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… The Chinese side has been keeping close communication with the Indian side on Yaluzangbu River hydrological information this time, reflecting another positive gesture of implementing the Wuhan consensus between our two leaders. In April this year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modiji reached important consensus on promoting China-India all-round cooperation during the informal summit in Wuhan,” Ji said.