‘What If China Stops Brahmaputra Water To India’: Assam CM Himanta Debunks Pak’s ‘New Scare Narrative’
Assam CM Sarma dismissed Pakistan's fear-mongering about China stopping the Brahmaputra's water flow to India. He clarified that the Brahmaputra is primarily rain-fed within India
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday dismissed Pakistan’s “New Scare Narrative” regarding the Brahmaputra River as unfounded, urging a fact-driven understanding instead of indulging in speculative fear. His remarks came after a senior aide to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Ihsaan Afzal, reportedly said that after India suspended the flow of the River Indus to Pakistan, China can also do the same to India, as per news agency ANI.
Responding on X (formerly Twitter), Himanta wrote, “What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India?” terming the threat “a baseless attempt” to provoke anxiety and asserted India’s dominant stake in the river’s flow.
Brahmaputra Largely Fed by Indian Rains: Himanta Sarma
Countering the narrative, Himanta clarified that the Brahmaputra is not primarily dependent on upstream water sources. According to the Chief Minister, China contributes only 30 to 35 per cent of the river’s total volume, which mostly comes from glacial melt and sparse rainfall over the Tibetan plateau.
The remaining 65 to 70 per cent, he said, is sourced within India—largely driven by the annual monsoon and multiple tributaries across the Northeast.
Citing hydrological data, he pointed out that while the Brahmaputra’s flow at the Indo-China border near Tuting ranges between 2,000 and 3,000 cubic metres per second, it swells to a massive 15,000–20,000 m³/s once it reaches Assam during the monsoon season.
“The Brahmaputra is not a river India depends on upstream. It is a rain-fed Indian river system, strengthened after entering Indian territory,” Himanta emphasised in his post.
What If China Stops Brahmaputra Water to India?
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 2, 2025
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After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat: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?”…
He argued that in a theoretical scenario where China does restrict water flow, it could ironically help Assam by easing its annual flood crisis, which affects lakhs of people each year.
Sarma also noted that China has never officially threatened to weaponise the Brahmaputra, calling such talk nothing more than fear-mongering without basis.
Taking aim at Pakistan, Sarma stated the country has long relied on the Indus Waters Treaty but is now showing signs of anxiety as India moves to assert its rightful control over water resources.
“Brahmaputra is not controlled by a single source. It is powered by our geography, our monsoon, and our civilisational resilience,” he concluded in his post.
China's Proposed Great Bend Dam On Brahmaputra
Regarding China's proposed "Great Bend Dam" on the Yarlung Tsangpo, the Chinese name for Brahmaputra, experts from several nations have voiced grave concerns. Senior BJP politician and Arunachal Pradesh Lok Sabha MP Tapir Gao stated, "It will be a 'water bomb' to be used against India and other lower riparian countries, rather than a dam."
Dr. Ranbir Singh, the chairman of the Brahmaputra Board, noted that the Brahmaputra Basin is the only river basin in India with an excess of water, while the others have a deficit. "With this dam in China, are we looking at a water-deficient Brahmaputra river basin?" he asked.
Singh also emphasised the necessity of a multifaceted approach, which includes raising the stakes against the initiative and winning over people throughout the world and collaborations.
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