(TLP:CLEAR) India Suspends Water Treaty with Pakistan, Underscoring the Heightened Risk of Water being Weaponized in Future Conflicts

Summary: As tensions between India and Pakistan continue to rise, with the potential for hostilities to escalate to full scale war, India suspended a crucial water sharing treaty between itself and Pakistan. This development is one of the most recent examples of water resources being weaponized in geopolitical conflict and with water scarcity increasing around the world it is likely that similar conflicts will occur going forward.

Analyst Note: Following a terrorist attack against Indian tourists last month, which India blamed on Pakistan, tensions between the two historical adversaries have dramatically increased with both countries escalating to tit for tat military strikes against one another. Although, armed conflict between these two nuclear armed powers is not new, however, for the first time India suspended its 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, between itself and Pakistan.

The treaty equally divides the use of the waters of the six major rivers that rise in the Himalayas and cross the Indo-Pakistan border. India gained full rights over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, three tributaries of the Indus River known collectively as the eastern rivers. Pakistan gained most of the rights over three western rivers – the Indus main stem and two more tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab. Pakistan is critically reliant on these rivers for its water supply and agriculture. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister called the suspension an “act of war.”

Additionally, many other countries around the world have conflicts over water resources, often due to competition for shared river basins or dwindling water supplies. Some prominent examples include the disagreements between African countries over the Nile River Basin, Middle Eastern countries over the Euphrates-Tigris Basin, and China and its southern neighbors regarding the Mekong River Basin.

This most recent conflict underscores the growing trend of water resources as a driver of conflict and instability. Indeed, water-related conflicts are increasing worldwide. The Pacific Institute, a California-based think tank, maintains a database of armed violence associated with water resources and water systems, dating back to antiquity. Nearly 90% of all recorded entries have occurred since the start of the twenty-first century. In short, as geopolitical tensions rise across the world and some natural resources become scarcer, conflict over water resources and infrastructure will likely increase.

Original Source: https://time.com/7283405/india-pakistan-kashmir-attack-water-rivers-dams-modi-weapon-war/  

Additional Reading:

• India to stop water flowing across international borders, Modi says
• Can India Cut Off Pakistan’s Indus River Lifeline?
• What Causes Water Conflict?
• Water-Related Conflict On The Rise Across The World, Study Finds

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 1 & 2