New Delhi: New Delhi based policy-oriented think tank, Security And Policy Initiatives (SAPI) organised a timely and substantive webinar on the theme “Brahmaputra: Strategic Water Security for the Country & Development of the North East.” The event examined the strategic, hydrological, developmental, and geopolitical implications of the large dams being constructed by China on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, and explored policy and infrastructure responses required by India to safeguard its long-term water security.
The webinar was organised on Saturday, January 24.
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The webinar aimed to create informed public awareness, encourage evidence-based debate, and elicit constructive inputs from experts, policymakers, and citizens through live interaction and SAPI’s YouTube platform. The Brahmaputra was discussed not merely as a river, but as a strategic national resource with deep implications for national security, economic development, and regional stability.
Setting the context, Subimal Bhattacharjee, a well-known expert on cyber security, North East India, and Bangladesh, described the Brahmaputra as the “heartbeat of Assam,” central to the region’s economy, ecology, culture, and identity. He highlighted the river’s role as National Waterway–2, its importance for fisheries and livelihoods, and its deep integration into Assamese society.
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Bhattacharjee flagged China’s Zangmu, Dagu, Jiexu, Great Bend dams as leverage tools, urging Assam storage for flood control, power, irrigation, buffering.
Contextualizing the Brahmaputra Water issue former Agriculture Secretary & ACS Maharashtra Govt, Nanasaheb Patil cited the comments of Assam CM—that Brahmaputra in India is not alone dependent on upstream flow from China as it only contributes 30% of the total flow, primarily through glacial melt and limited Tibetan rainfall—seeking keynote views.
Delivering the keynote address Ashwin B. Pandya (former Chairman of the Central Water Commission, Secretary General of the International Council for Irrigation and Drainage, and Professor of Practice at IIT Roorkee) stressed Brahmaputra’s 50% share of India’s water, Tibetan risks, seasonal mismatches creating “false security.”
"Tibetan plateau plays a vital role in feeding the river system and that China’s control over this region has created a long-term strategic disadvantage for downstream countries", he said. Pandya cautioned against relying on aggregate annual flow figures, noting that India’s water availability is highly seasonal, concentrated in a short monsoon window, while water demand is continuous throughout the year.
This mismatch, he said, creates a dangerous “false sense of security.”
Pandya advocated basin plans for Siang, Subansiri, Dibang, Lohit; 10–12 BCM storage (9 BCM Siang) as “kingpin” for Assam floods, Guwahati, Kaziranga protection versus diversions. Modern engineering handles quakes (Bhakra, Tehri); resettlement via planning. Flows aid interlinking, semiconductors, data centres, nuclear, he mentioned.
In the beginning of the webinar, Pradeep Gupta, Founder of SAPI, introduced the think tank and its work. Established in October 2021, SAPI is engaged in dissemination of knowledge and perspective-building on issues of national importance through webinars, articles, and policy discussions. Recordings of its programs are available on www.sapiindia.com and the SAPI YouTube channel.
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