The alarming fall in the water level of the Brahmaputra at various stretches, much lower than the usual lean season level, has triggered sustainability concerns among people in the state. Sediment management of the mighty river is a Herculean challenge. Overcoming the challenge is crucial to address the recurring erosion problem and to maintain navigable depth of the waterway, but a sustainable solution is not in sight. Many suggest dredging or de-silting the river to address the problem. The scientific principle that the Ministry of Jal Shakti follows is that rivers tend to maintain a balance between the silt load carried and the silt load deposited, maintaining a river regime. Dredging/de-silting of rivers is not considered techno-economically feasible, as it can provide benefits marginally and is effective only for a short period. Erosion, movement, and deposition of sediment in a river are natural regulating functions of a river, the Ministry informed the Lok Sabha. It is also of the view that selective dredging in specific reaches sometimes may have to be undertaken based upon local site conditions but only after carrying out proper scientific model study. The de-silting measures, including dredging in specific reaches of rivers for removal of drainage congestion, channel capacity improvement, and navigation purposes, are formulated and implemented by concerned states/agencies as per requirement, it adds. The issue brings to the centre stage of the policy discourse the “National Framework for Sediment Management” prepared by the ministry in consultation with various central government departments and the states/union territories. The framework emphasises reducing silt generation rather than silt removal. It lists the basic principles that need to be followed for sediment management of the rivers in the country. These are: Sediment management should become a part of an integrated river basin management plan. Regular sediment budgeting for all basins should be done, especially those that are affected by heavy siltation problems; removal of sediments from the riverbed may help in channelization of river flow during the lean season and improve the navigability but will not have any considerable effect on flood levels; and sediment management action must follow best practices to minimize damage to the environment and river morphology. Another key principle that the framework underpins is that the quantity of sediment removed from the river for urbanisation and infrastructure development shall be limited to the extent to which it does not harm the ecology of the river. Rampant sand mining resulting in the destruction of the ecology of several tributaries of the Brahmaputra speaks volumes about the authorities looking the other way when they were expected to enforce provisions of the sand mining framework circulated by the Ministry of Mines to all the states to address the issue of regulating sand mining. The framework on sediment management acknowledges the problem that many a time, excess deposition of sediment at undesirable places causes bank erosion, shifting of river course, and navigational issues. Besides, sediment deposition at the mouth of a river may cause large-scale flooding due to drainage congestion, and at many places, sediment needs to be removed from a river to channelize it to bring it to its original course, especially during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon. The general guidelines included in the framework for carrying out de-siltation/dredging work sounded the caution that dredging/de-siltation/mining activities that are carried out disturbing the river regime may result in some adverse impacts. Such impacts include riverbed degradation; bank erosion; channel widening; lowering of water surface elevations in the river channel; lowering of water table elevations adjacent to the river; and reduction in the structural integrity of bridges, pipelines, jetties, barrages, weirs, foundations supporting high-tension lines, existing bank protection works, and other man-made structures. The framework outlines the pathway for addressing the sediment management of the Indian rivers, including the Brahmaputra. The most pertinent question that remains unaddressed for Assam is the mobilisation of resources for funding the massive research work and conducting studies and surveys before undertaking a sustainable sediment management project. Inland waterways are crucial for connectivity for lakhs of people living on both banks of the river and its tributaries; channel navigability is crucial for sustainable water transport, the cheapest among all modes of transport. The state battered by multiple waves of floods and alarming rise in intensity of the erosion problem is staring at worsening of the twin problem due to sediment deposit along the main channel severely affecting the water flow. If the sediment problem remains unattended, it can also make huge expenditures incurred for flood and erosion management in the state infructuous and increase the vulnerability of the people living on the floodplain. The issue needs urgent attention from the central government for prioritising sediment management in the Brahmaputra and its major tributaries for adequate funding support for research and pragmatic dredging/desilting projects along with flood management and anti-erosion measures in Assam.