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India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
What If China Stops Brahmaputra Water To India?: After Chickens 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 After India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat: What if China stops the Brahmaputra's water to India?'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.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma chairs first meeting of Northeast Economic Corridor task force
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Guwahati: The first meeting of the High-Level Task Force on the Northeast Economic Corridor (NEEC) was held on Wednesday via video conference under the chairmanship of Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who also serves as the Convener of the Task emphasized the significances of the Northeast region in India's economic developmental journey and highlighted the need to enhance regional cooperation with other Asian countries to ensure faster and more inclusive stated that the establishment of the High Level Task Force on NEEC is aimed at assessment of the existing economic, infrastructure and investment ecosystem in the NER, highlighting critical sectors, to formulate strategies to attract public and private sector investment, align the objectives of North East Economic Corridor with the action plan to attain measurable targets for short term, medium term and long term Northeast Economic Corridor under the Ministry of DoNER, is a transformative initiative aimed at enhancing connectivity, trade, and economic growth in the Northeastern Region (NER) of initiative focuses on improving intra-regional connectivity through the development of ports, road networks, airports, railways, digital infrastructure, and power facilities. It also emphasizes the promotion of major sectoral clusters such as sericulture, agarwood, bamboo, rubber, tea, and agriculture, including high-value crops like kiwi and pineapple. By establishing growth and border centres, the NEEC seeks to leverage local potential, assess existing industries, respond to market demand, and identify strategic zones for development—thereby also encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the members of the Task Force include Union Minister of DoNER, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia; Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar met with Dr. Randir Singh, Chairman of the Brahmaputra Board , at his office in Aizawl. During the meeting, various ongoing activities of the Board in Mizoram were expressed his appreciation of the Board's efforts and conveyed the State Government's willingness to support the Board's initiatives. He assured that the State would make necessary amendments and align policies as required to facilitate access to the Central Government's flood bank zoning and its related emphasized the importance of cooperation in areas related to increase water sources, watershed development, rainwater harvesting dam and multi-purpose irrigation project, and the need to continue progressing towards a safer and more sustainable riverine system in the explained that the Brahmaputra Board, established in 1982 under the Brahmaputra Board Act, 1980 by the Government of India, is mandated to undertake the integrated development of the Brahmaputra and Barak River basins, particularly in the Northeastern region. The Board's responsibilities include the preparation of Master Plans for flood management and bank erosion control, detailed project reports (DPRs) for multi-purpose development, survey and investigation of river systems, implementation of anti-erosion and drainage development schemes, and coordination among states for sustainable water resource management He highlighted the Board's regional office in Zemabawk, Mizoram, which is currently functioning from a rented private building, and shared an overview of the Board's major initiatives in the state. He also outlined plans to accelerate critical projects and interventions in the coming months.
