Guwahati, 3 June (HS): After the dispute arising from the Indus River Water Treaty by India, once again Pakistan is trying to spread propaganda against India by riding on the shoulders of China. When the news about Pakistani propaganda spread very fast in the local media, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma also took charge and busted the lies of Pakistan.

Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a post on social media and said that if China stops the water of Brahmaputra, it will prove helpful for India, because every year millions of people are displaced and there is huge destruction due to the severe floods in Assam. He gave a befitting reply to this new scary story of Pakistan.

The Chief Minister has said that ever since the old and unilateral Indus Water Treaty has been sidelined by India, Pakistan is trying to spread a new panic in India. “What if China stops the water of Brahmaputra?” To this, the Chief Minister has said that let us break this false imagination not with fear, but with facts and national clarity.

The Brahmaputra is a river that rises in India- it does not fall. China contributes only 30–35% of the total water flow of the Brahmaputra. That too mostly from melting glaciers and limited rainfall. The remaining 65–70% of water is generated within India itself, as torrential monsoon rains in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya go to the Brahmaputra through major tributaries like Subansiri, Lohit, Kameng, Manas, Dhansiri, Jia-Bharali, Kopili. At the same time, water from the Khasi, Garo and Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya goes to the Brahmaputra through tributary rivers like Krishnai, Digaru, Kulsi etc. Flow at India-China border (Tuting) – 2,000–3,000 m3/sec. Flow in Assam plains like Guwahati– 15,000to20,000 m3/sec during monsoon. Brahmaputra gets stronger after entering India. It is an Indian, rain-fed river system, not dependent on any single source. The truth that Pakistan should know is that if China ever reduces the water of Brahmaputra (which has not been said or hinted at in any forum so far), it could be helpful for India, because the massive floods in Assam every year displace millions and cause massive destruction.

Pakistan, which has benefited disproportionately from the Indus Water Treaty for 74 years, is now worried because India is taking sovereign decisions on its water rights. In this regard, it is important to remind Pakistan of something like Brahmaputra is not dependent on a single source. It is nourished by our geography, our monsoon and our civilizational strength.

On the basis of facts, the Chief Minister has not only deflated Pakistan's fear-mongering strategy, but has also given a befitting reply to China that it cannot blackmail India over the Brahmaputra.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash