Reacting to a Pakistani official’s threat that China can also halt the flow of the River Brahmaputra into India, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday described the remark as Islamabad’s new “scare tactic” and said the water body grows after entering the country. He said China contributes only 30-35 percent of the river’s total flow.
Sarma’s response came after a senior aide to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Ihsaan Afzal, reportedly said that, on the lines of India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, China can take similar measures by stalling the flow of the river, reported ANI.
Himanta Biswa Sarma said Pakistan is “spinning another manufactured threat”.
“What if China stops the 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 After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat: What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India? Let’s dismantle this myth — not with fear, but with facts and national clarity: Brahmaputra: A River That Grows in India — Not Shrinks,” he wrote on X.
Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Brahmaputra swells after entering India because of torrential monsoon rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya.
“China contributes only 30-35% of the Brahmaputra’s total flow, mostly through glacial melt and limited Tibetan rainfall. The remaining 65-70% is generated within India, thanks to: Torrential monsoon rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya; major tributaries like Subansiri, Lohit, Kameng, Manas, Dhansiri, Jia-Bharali, Kopili; and additional inflows from the Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia Hills via rivers such as Krishnai, Digaru, and Kulsi,” he said.
He said the river is not dependent on upstream flow because it is a rain-fed Indian river system, which strengthens after entering Indian territory.
“Even if China were to reduce water flow (unlikely as China has never threatened or indicated in any official forum), it may help India mitigate the annual floods in Assam, which displace lakhs and destroy livelihoods every year,” he added.
Indus Waters Treaty
India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty – which governs the flow of water from India to Pakistan – in April in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Gujarat last week that the stoppage of water flow had made Pakistan sweat.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has said that “water is the country’s red line”, which mustn’t be crossed.
“Pakistan will never accept Indian hegemony. Water is Pakistan’s red line, and we will not allow any compromise on this basic right of 240 million Pakistanis,” Pakistan army chief Asim Munir said last week.