Indus Basin Treaty | Canal Water Dispute between India and Pakistan

Indus Basin Treaty | Canal Water Dispute between India and Pakistan | by Raheela Waheed

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Pakistan and India share the waters of the Indus River System.The partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 resulted in the headworks of the extensive network of canals - built during the British Raj - being placed in India. This led to India becoming the upper riparian and Pakistan the lower riparian in the Indus basin. The boundaries drawn were in disregard of hydrology since 80 percent of the areas irrigated by the canals were in Pakistan.
The waters of the Indus River basin therefore were a major source of contention between India and Pakistan right from independence. This is evident from the number of water disputes that broke out between the two states as early as April 1948 and even led at one point to the unilateral termination of water supplies by East Punjab to the canals crossing into Pakistan. It thus appeared that water would serve as the most likely catalyst for future wars between the two states.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed between the two parties on 19 September 1960. It is in essence, a technical treaty which attempts to provide a holistic framework for engineering solutions and mutual water management between India and Pakistan. However, unlike most international agreements of this nature, the IWT is not based on the equitable distribution of the waters of the Indus. Instead, it is based on the division of the Indus and its five major tributaries between India and Pakistan. This is the IWT’s most unique aspect.
Under the framework of the treaty, the three western rivers of the Indus Basin are allotted to Pakistan. These include the Jhelum, Chenab and the Indus. All the waters of the eastern rivers - the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas - are available to India.
The IWT has endured over five decades of hostilities between the South Asian rivals including major wars. During this time, neither Pakistan nor India has ever targeted each other’s canals and hydroelectric facilities nor sought to terminate the Treaty. This is demonstrative of the fact that both States recognize the need for cooperation in order to safeguard their long term access to the waters of the Indus Basin.
Recent years however have seen water once again become a divisive issue between India and Pakistan. For a variety of reasons ,the IWT has come under strain, raising doubts about its efficacy in safeguarding the national interest across both sides of the border. There is therefore a need for both countries to engage in constructive engagement in order to understand each other’s legitimate concerns and fears and resolve them through bilateral dialogues.