The floods that Assam endures every year expose deeper problems in India's water management. As a downstream riparian state, India's ability to predict floods depends on hydrological data from the upper Brahmaputra, which is crucial information for early warning systems, dam safety assessments, and flood-management planning. Yet access to this data depends on cooperation with China, which has control over the upper reaches of the river on the Tibetan Plateau and has built hyd