India presses China for data on upstream river projects

India asked China to resume sharing hydrological data and provide technical information about upstream river projects during talks in New Delhi on Thursday, 6 August.

The request was made at the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs. India’s ministry of external affairs disclosed the discussions in a statement issued on Friday, 7 August.

According to the official statement, India reiterated the need for an early meeting of the two countries’ expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers.

New Delhi also emphasized the importance of China sharing technical details about projects being built upstream.

The Indian delegation was led by Sujit Ghosh, joint secretary for East Asia at the Ministry of External Affairs. China’s delegation was headed by Hou Yanqi, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs.

India’s request is not the first of its kind. The Indian government told Parliament that China had stopped providing hydrological information for the Brahmaputra beginning in June 2023. The information is used for monitoring water levels and improving flood forecasting in downstream regions.

The latest discussions have acquired greater significance because of China’s enormous hydropower project on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.

Although commonly described as a mega-dam, China’s announcement describes it as a complex of five cascade hydropower stations. Construction was formally launched on 19 July 2025, with projected investment of about 1.2 trillion yuan, according to the Chinese government.

The Yarlung Tsangpo enters India as the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh. It later becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam before flowing into Bangladesh.

India has repeatedly asked China to ensure that projects on shared rivers do not harm downstream countries. It has also called for greater transparency and consultation over construction and reservoir operations.

In January 2025, India and China agreed to hold an early meeting of experts to discuss the resumption of hydrological data, according to the ministry of external affairs. China later agreed to provide hydrological information during emergency situations on humanitarian grounds, but routine data sharing remained suspended.

The 6 August meeting also reviewed conditions along the Line of Actual Control. Both governments agreed that maintaining peace along the disputed border was important and that diplomatic and military communication should continue.