Even if China reduces...: Himanta Sarma shuts down Pak's Brahmaputra threat
Dismantling Pakistan's "new scare narrative", Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said if China were to reduce the water flow of the Brahmaputra, it would benefit the state and help it mitigate the devastating annual floods.Sarma's remarks come after a senior aide to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, citing India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, cautioned that China might also weaponise the Brahmaputra's waters in support of its "all-weather friend".advertisementHIMANTA SARMA DISMANTLES PAK CLAIM
In a strongly worded fact-driven rebuttal post on X, the Chief Minister dismissed Pakistan's "manufactured threat", saying Brahmaputra was not controlled by a "single source".Sarma pointed out that 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 through monsoon rain, its tributaries, and additional inflows from the Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia Hills."After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat: What if China stops the Brahmaputra's water to India?"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 said."The Brahmaputra is not a river India depends on upstream - it is a rain-fed Indian river system, strengthened after entering Indian territory," Sarma tweeted.The Brahmaputra originates near the Chemayungdung Glacier in Tibet (river known as Yarlung Tsangpo), enters Arunachal Pradesh and flows through Assam before continuing through Bangladesh as the Jamuna. It ultimately drains into the Bay of Bengal.advertisementSince 2022, China has stopped sharing vital hydrological data on transboundary rivers like the Brahmaputra.India has no binding agreement with China over the Brahmaputra and, unlike Pakistan, the tensions between the two countries are purely about border issues and not terrorism.'ASSAM TO BENEFIT IF CHINA REDUCES FLOW'The fiery BJP leader underscored that in the unlikely event of China reducing the water flow, it would help Assam mitigate the annual floods that displace lakhs every year. This year, the floods have affected over 5 lakh people in Assam and killed 36 people across the northeast."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," he said.In a direct jab at Pakistan, Sarma said the neighbouring country exploited 74 years of preferential water access under the Indus Waters Treaty, which India suspended as part of a string of punitive measures following the Pahalgam terror attack."Pakistan, which has exploited 74 years of preferential water access under the Indus Waters Treaty, now panics as India rightfully reclaims its sovereign rights," the Chief Minister further said.Must Watch
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