Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that “if China was to reduce the flow of water (in Brahmaputra)”, it can help reduce the annual Assam’s annual floods.
His comments were made in a post on social media, which he said that China had a “threat” from Pakistan on the possibility of obstructing the flow of water from the Brahmaputra, which originates as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet. The Chief Minister’s comments come against India’s background, suspending the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack in April.
“China contributes only 30–35% of the total flow of Brahmaputra-most of the glacial melting and limited Tibetan rain. The remaining 65-70% originates within India, thanks to the pestle monsoon rains in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.
In the post, he wrote that on the Indo-China border, where Tsangpo enters as the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh, the river flow is about 2,000–3,000 cubic meters per second and that in Assam plains in Guwahati, about 15,000–20,000 cubic meters per second.
What if China stops Brahmaputra water for India?
A response to Pakistan’s new intimidation storyAfter India decisively moved away from the old Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another built threat:
“What if China stops Brahmaputra water for India?”– Himant Biswa Sarma (@Himantabiswa) June 2, 2025
Citing these figures, he wrote that the Brahmaputra is “not a river, India depends on upstream” and “a less than a rainfall is the Indian river system, which has strengthened after entering Indian territory.”
“Even though China had to reduce the flow of water (unlikely China has never threatened or indicated in an official platform), it can actually help India reduce annual floods in Assam, which displaced millions and destroys livelihood every year,” he wrote.
“Meanwhile, Pakistan – who has exploited 74 years of preference water access under the Indus Water Treaty – now Panic has reclaimed its sovereign rights.” Let us remind them: Brahmaputra is not controlled by the same source – it is powered by our geography, our monsoon and our civilization flexibility. ,
Their comment also comes at a time when the Brahmaputra and many other rivers of Assam are flowing above the danger level, and the flood has killed several parts of the Northeast.
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