The myth of China controlling water of Brahmaputra and Indus

(1)The myth of China controlling water of Brahmaputra and Indus.

(2)Whenever there are talks of India withdrawing from Indus Water Treaty and diverting upper three rivers, or even talk of India utilizing

(3)its share fully; usual suspects in all three countries crawl out of woodwork stating that China would do same with India and dry up

(4)Indian rivers. This myth is pure fearmongering with zero facts to support it.Reasons being:

(5) A Very small proportion of water in transboundary rivers of India come from Tibet.Tibet is climatologically a barren cold plateau.

(6) It receives between 4 to 12 inches of precipitation depending on time and place. Water efflux in these rivers ,from Tibet, is very low.

(7)This is not just a theoretical point.It is supported by hydrological data.(page29)iucn.org/sites/dev/file… … (pics attached).

(8)Brahmaputra enters India just after Tsela Dzong. After this point it it goes into 16.8m/km steep fall before entering India, and creating

(9) A gorge in the process. Of the 19800 Cumecs average discharge of Brahmaputra, water from China account for less than 500 Cumecs.

(10)There is not much water for China to divert.

(b)Geography:Tibet is intermontane high altitude plateau between Himalaya and Kulun shan.

(11)Before Tibetan railway, only way to access Tibet by vehicles was Highway219 which passes through Askai Chin.

(12)Apart from that Tibet is formed by flexing of Eurasian plate upward due to bending force exerted by Indian plate on Eurasian plate.

(13)This has resulted in a topography where central Tibet has highest average elevation of the plateau. Any water diversion project,

(14) would not only have to cut through mountains or use existing rivers, but would also has to flow against gradient ie pumped.

(15)These two factor make diversion of water of Brahmaputra, inconsequential. I have not even talked about Indus,because just north of Indus

(16)Gangiste mountain, through which China has to tunnel to transfer whatever measly amount of water it could transfer.

(17)So next time any pakistani or leftie play "we/Our massa Cheen could stop Indian water",point these facts to him and shut him up.The end.

Hence India has plans to divert Chenab on a small scale, but it has no plans to divert Jhelum or Indus.
Indus could not be diverted at all because for that, we would have to tunnel through multiple mountain ranges ( Zanskar range, Great. Himalayan range, Pir Panjal, Shiwalik) of Himalayan mountain system. Neither we, nor China, could divert Indus.

@handle_anonymous