ASSESSING HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE INDUS WATERS TREATY AND CONTEMPORARY WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES

Abstract

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a 1960 World Bank-facilitated agreement between India and Pakistan on sharing river waters, is considered one of the longest lasting and most successful transboundary water-sharing treaties in modern international relations. More than 60 years, since the last war, treaty has continued to be in effect, offering an institutional mechanism for water allocation, management and peaceful dispute resolution related to waters of Indus River Basin. But the current water-security situation is quite different from what it was when treaty was formulated. Climate change, the retreat of glaciers in Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan (HKH) region, water scarcity, high population growth, depletion of groundwater resources, environmental degradation, and urbanization and expansion of hydropower projects have added hurdles not foreseen by the original treaty designers. This study explores the genesis of Indus Waters Treaty in the political and legal landscape of post-partition South Asia and analyses its significance in the twenty first century water security scenario. The study utilizes a qualitative research design with the support of primary sources such as text of Indus Waters Treaty, World Bank documents, official reports, and International legal instruments as well as secondary sources such as scholarly books, peer-reviewed journal articles and policy studies. This paper contends that treaty has proven very resilient as an institution, but that its viability into future relies on adaptive governance that can address new climatic, environmental, technological and geopolitical realities.