“Brahmaputra Grows in India”: Assam CM Counters Pakistan’s "New Scare Narrative"

In response to a recent narrative emerging from Pakistan suggesting a hypothetical scenario where China might halt the flow of the Brahmaputra River into India, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma firmly dismissed such claims as unfounded and misleading. CM Sarma clarified that the Brahmaputra is predominantly a rain-fed river system, largely nourished by Indian geography and monsoon patterns.

"Let's dismantle this myth, not with fear, but with facts and national clarity," the Chief Minister wrote, highlighting that the Brahmaputra is a river that grows in India, not one that shrinks due to upstream control.

“China contributes only around 30 to 35 percent of the Brahmaputra’s total water flow,” stated CM Sarma, adding that this contribution stems mostly from glacial melt and limited Tibetan rainfall. “The remaining 65 to 70 percent is generated within India,” he noted, attributing it to “torrential monsoon rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya,” along with major tributaries such as the Subansiri, Lohit, Kameng, Manas, Dhansiri, Jia-Bharali, and Kopili.

He further highlighted the significant rise in the river’s discharge as it moves through Indian territory. “At the Indo-China border near Tuting, the flow is approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cubic metres per second,” he pointed out. “However, in the Assam plains, including Guwahati, the flow swells to 15,000 to 20,000 cubic metres per second during the monsoon season.”

Countering the apprehensions being circulated in some quarters of Pakistan following India’s shift away from the Indus Waters Treaty, the CM stressed, “The Brahmaputra is not a river India depends on upstream — it is a rain-fed Indian river system, strengthened after entering Indian territory.”

Addressing the hypothetical scenario of China reducing the river’s flow, he remarked that "even if China were to reduce water flow — which is unlikely as China has never threatened or indicated such action in any official forum — it may actually help India mitigate the annual floods in Assam, which displace lakhs and destroy livelihoods every year."

Criticising Pakistan’s stance, he stated, “Pakistan — which has exploited 74 years of preferential water access under the Indus Waters Treaty — now panics as India rightfully reclaims its sovereign rights.”

Concluding his remarks, the CM affirmed India’s strength and resilience, stating that the Brahmaputra is not controlled by a single source — it is powered by geography, monsoon, and civilizational resilience.

What If China Stops Brahmaputra Water to India?
A Response to Pakistan’s New Scare Narrative

After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat:
“What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India?”…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 2, 2025

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