'What If China Stops Brahmaputra Water To India?': After Chicken's Neck, Assam CM Sarma Counters Pakistan-China Threat

What If China Stops Brahmaputra? When it comes to blunt replies, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma leaves many politicians behind. He is known for expressing his views very clearly, without considering any ramification. When Bangladesh raised the Chicken's Neck - Siliguri corridor issue, Sarma hit back by sharing a map of two chicken necks that Dhaka should be worrying about. Now, Sarma has reacted to Pakistan-China's joint threat related to the Brahmaputra river. Notably, India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty following the Pakistan-backed Pahalgam terror attack. Since then, Pakistanis have been raising the Brahmaputra river issue.

Reacting to Pakistan's claim, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took to social media to counter myths with facts. "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 After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat: What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India?” said Sarma highlighting the question.

He further said, "Let’s dismantle this myth — not with fear, but with facts and national clarity. Brahmaputra: A River That Grows in India — Not Shrinks. China contributes only ~30–35% of the Brahmaputra’s total flow — mostly through glacial melt and limited Tibetan rainfall."

Sarma said that the remaining 65–70% of Brahmaputra water 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.

"At the Indo-China border (Tuting): Flow is ~2,000–3,000 m³/s. In Assam plains (e.g., Guwahati): Flow swells to 15,000–20,000 m³/s during monsoon. The Brahmaputra is not a river India depends on upstream — it is a rain-fed Indian river system, strengthened after entering Indian territory," said the Assam CM.

Responding to Pakistan, Sarma said, "Even if China were to reduce water flow (unlikely as China has never threatened or indicated in any official forum), it may actually help India mitigate the annual floods in Assam, which displace lakhs and destroy livelihoods every year. Meanwhile, Pakistan — which has exploited 74 years of preferential water access under the Indus Waters Treaty — now panics as India rightfully reclaims its sovereign rights."

Sarma said that Pakistan must not forget that Brahmaputra is  not controlled by a single source and is powered by the country's geography, monsoon, and civilisational resilience.

Chairman of the Brahmaputra Board, Dr Ranbir Singh, pointed out that the Brahmaputra Basin is the only water-surplus river basin in India, with the rest being water-deficient. "With this dam in China, are we looking at a water-deficient Brahmaputra river basin?" he wondered.