
The latest dispute between India and China is as murky as the water it's over. In October, the South China Morning Post reported that China had revived plans to build a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) tunnel to divert water to Xinjiang province from the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southern Tibet and was testing the technique on a separate tunnel project. China denied that any such plans were underway. But when the Sang River then appeared muddier than normal in recent weeks and displayed elevated levels of iron, it struck a nerve in India. A local leader running for office in Arunachal Pradesh speculated that Chinese construction was responsible for the pollution, but he failed to provide evidence to back up his assertion and both Indian and Chinese leaders denied that China was responsible for the muddy waters.