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Bangladesh is yet to have formal discussions with China over its dam construction in the upstream of the Brahmaputra River for hydroelectric projects, officials said.
Responding to a question, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing of the Foreign Ministry Seheli Sabrina said on Thursday that they were trying to collect details information on the issue.
She also said that Bangladesh has not signed any agreement with China over water sharing.
It may be mentioned experts in both India and Bangladesh expressed concern over the projects.
But, China said they will act responsibly while implementing such projects on international rivers.
According to reports, the new dam is planned to produce at least 60 gigawatts (GW) of electricity. To put that into perspective, one GW is the quantity of energy captured by 3.125 million solar panels or 412 wind turbines. One GW is also enough to power 110 million LED lights.
In March, 2021, China's parliament adopted the 14th five-year plan, which included the hydropower project on the Brahmaputra in Tibet near India's Arunachal Pradesh.
The 1,800-km-long Brahmaputra, which enters Bangladesh from India after originating from Tibet region under China, is the largest source of external water for Bangladesh.
According to statistics, at least 60 per cent of Bangladesh's population relies on the Brahmaputra's catchment basin.
Following the disclosure of the Chinese move, India also announced a plan to construct another dam on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing that hydropower development in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is China's legitimate right.
However, she said when it comes to use and development of cross-border rivers, China always acts responsibly.
Meanwhile, responding to another question the foreign ministry spokesperson, Ms Seheli, said the ministry has formed a separate cell to provide assistance to international elections observers.
She also said the ministry has not received any request from anyone regarding sending of election observers to Bangladesh.