China on Tuesday said it had promptly informed India about the formation of an artificial dam in Tibet that may burst and trigger flash floods in Himachal Pradesh, but kept silent on New Delhi's request for sending a fact-finding team to the remote Himalayan region.
"According to information available from Tibet Autonomous Region, we know that landslides in surrounding hills caused clogging of the course of a river," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said.
"China has promptly informed the Indian side of the situation," he told PTI, when asked to comment on the latest situation and the steps Beijing has taken to address New Delhi's concern.
Asked separately whether China has okayed the trip to Tibet by four Indian experts, the spokesman's office did not respond.
India on Tuesday said it was awaiting clearance from China for a four-member technical team constituted to inspect as early as possible landslide area and artificial dam in Tibet that may burst and trigger flash floods in Sutlej river in Himachal Pradesh.
"We are awaiting clearance from the Chinese side," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna had said in New Delhi.
India had signed an agreement with China in 2002 for provision of hydrological information of the Yaluzangbu/Brahmaputra river during flood season by China to India.
