Overview

• India’s April suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty spurred Pakistan to suggest China might block the Brahmaputra’s waters to India.
• On June 2, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rebutted the narrative with hydrological data showing China’s share of flow is only 30–35%.
• He detailed that torrential monsoon rains and tributaries in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya generate the remaining 65–70% of the river’s volume.
• Flow measurements rise from about 2,000–3,000 m³/s at the Indo-China border to 15,000–20,000 m³/s in Assam during monsoon, underscoring India’s dominant contribution.
• Experts warn that China’s proposed Yarlung Tsangpo dam cannot substantially choke downstream flow and any reduction could actually ease Assam’s annual floods.