War over water It could happen with India and Pakistan
The Guardian
June 3, 2002
LeaderThe tense stand-off between India and Pakistan has cast the shadow of nuclear conflict across the globe. But, even if both see sense and pull back from the first war between nuclear powers, there are concerns that relations are so soured that Delhi and Pakistan might resort to conflict by other means. In particular, there are worrying reports suggesting that India could cut off Pakistan's water supply. The Indus water treaty, drawn up in 1960, under the auspices of the World Bank, divided the distribution of water from the six rivers that run down from Tibet through India to the shared Indus Basin. India did not revoke the accord during either the 1965 or the 1971 war with Pakistan. In raising the treaty as an issue India may be signalling how deeply angry with Pakistan it is.
But Delhi would be wrong even to contemplate such an action. Millions of lives are at stake. India could not simply turn off the taps - any move would require the building of dams and reservoirs, but that the idea is openly voiced is bad enough. The water table of Pakistan, a semi-arid country where drought has parched many parts, is falling rapidly. Farming and electricity, which account for almost 30% of Pakistan's gross domestic product, are being affected and a crisis looms. India, too, is drying out, especially in its north-western regions, and unless both countries act soon, water not land may be what they trade blows over.
Water is a resource to be shared equitably by peoples. It is an argument that India knows well, having used it to engage China, Bangladesh and Nepal, neighbours it shares rivers with. No nation should deprive another of a shared resource which, thanks to geographic design, collects in a basin within its borders. It is true that some disputes between India and Pakistan appear intractable. But the Indus treaty is proof that these can be amicably solved. For peace, both sides must accept that water must never become a weapon of war.
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