Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday, June 1, firmly dismissed a growing narrative from Pakistan suggesting that China could weaponise the Brahmaputra River by halting its flow into India.
Labelling it a “baseless attempt” to stir public fear, Sarma provided a detailed, data-backed rebuttal, asserting that India’s control and contribution to the river’s strength far outweigh any upstream influence.
Addressing the concerns in a pointed post on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma said, “Let’s dismantle this myth, not with fear, but with facts and national clarity.” He clarified that around 65-70 per cent of the Brahmaputra’s flow is generated within India, thanks to the monsoon-fed tributaries and rainfall in the Northeast, while China contributes just 30-35 per cent, mainly through glacial melt and modest rainfall over the Tibetan plateau.
Have a look at his post here:
Hydrological data, the chief minister pointed out, supports this claim. At the Indo-China border in Tuting, the river’s flow ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 cubic metres per second. However, once it enters Assam, it swells to an enormous 15,000–20,000 m³/s during the monsoon. “The Brahmaputra is not a river India depends on upstream. It is a rain-fed Indian river system, strengthened after entering Indian territory," he added.
The remarks came in response to online speculation stirred by Pakistan following India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty after a terror attack in Pahalgam. Sarma further wrote in his post, “After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat.”
He also noted that China has never officially threatened to curb the river’s flow and suggested that even if it did, the move could mitigate Assam’s annual flood disasters.
“Brahmaputra is not controlled by a single source. It is powered by our geography, our monsoon, and our civilisational resilience,” Sarma concluded.
