67 Years and the Unresolved Water Crisis

[Pakistan Insider]

Lord Mountbatten after realizing the dire need of a separate homeland for Muslims and Hindus, declared that power would be transferred from the British to the Indians by June 1947. The escalating tensions post partition did not end just there. Neither have they ended after the three wars, the neighbouring nations have fought within a time frame of 30 years after partition.
At the time of partition, the distribution of assets was not done evenly and history stands witness to that so no point in negating the facts. What was not realized at that time was that India had full control over that one resource without which human life would cease to exist- water.

Water that reaches the two nations comes from the Himalayan glaciers which passes through Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s government had grave concerns over this matter to which the Inter- Dominion Accord of 1948 catered to. According to this accord, India would release water into Pakistan for which it would receive regular payments.

The Pakistani citizenry was extremely uptight about this and its concerns proved valid when in 1948 Pakistan’s water supplies were cut off by an Indian administrator. This led the leaders of the nation to take this matter to the International Court of Justice but India was always hesitant to follow suit.

It was on September 19, 1960 that a deal was brokered between the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Ayub Khan, the President of Pakistan. It was termed as the Indus Waters Treaty according to which, control of water from the western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab was handed over to Pakistan and India would have complete access to the waters from Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, the eastern waterways.

The point of conflict that the two neighbours now face is again majorly concerned with the water supply. India has proposed construction of four dams on River Chenab to which the Pakistani side has a clash of interest and that is legitimate. As per the treaty, both the country’s if were to build dams, a prerequisite was to inform the counterpart before proceeding with the plan. The plan would only materialize on the total consensus of both the nations.

India repeatedly has gone off the track and without providing prior notice to Pakistan has been head on with its strategy of building dams on the rivers which are to provide water to Pakistan. Read more 67 Years and the Unresolved Water Crisis | Pakistan Insider

 

[dray]

India should cancel the Indus Water Treaty to end this confusion.

 

[shiv]

most pakistanis talk like illiterate jahils ! Check the provisions in IWT text once before spewing uninformed cr@p ! IWT is the most unequal treaty against India to be ever signed . I will vote to scrap it any day !

 

[faisal6309]

Where is all the money which came from India after Indus Water Treaty??

 

[Levina]

India repeatedly has gone off the track and without providing prior notice to Pakistan has been head on with its strategy of building dams on the rivers which are to provide water to Pakistan.

Pakistan has always India to blame for anything and everything.
Pakistan has only constructed two large dams over the past 40 years and those are damaged by sedimentation. In contrast China has built 22000 dams during that period while India has constructed about 4000.

 

[kalanirnay]

India needs to scrap the Indus water treaty ASAP.

Pakistan needs to negotiate a new water treaty with the Huriyat ASAP.

 

[Arya Desa]

We are their scapegoat.

 

[kalanirnay]

We are their scapegoat.

The correct word is Red Herring.

 

[Arya Desa]

The correct word is Red Herring.

Semantics. The point being, we Indians are blamed for every shortcoming in pakistan. The monsoons come late, India did it; the monsoons come heavy, India did it; their country is falling about by the seams, India is doing it.

 

[Kloitra]

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/...23497-1105737253588/IndusWatersTreaty1960.pdf

 

[third eye]

Where is all the money which came from India after Indus Water Treaty??

The main objective of the funds was to construct head-works and canals from the Western Rivers and other sources of water for irrigation canals in Pakistan.

Not sure how much was done .

 

[nForce]

India entered into an obligation by signing the Indus Water Treaty and assured Pakistan of a fair share of water from rivers all of which flow from India.India also paid huge amount of money to Pakistan as a part of the treaty.

Now, how does Pakistan thank India for that generosity ? By creating an insurgency and launching a surprise attack on India only 5 years later.Many other things followed after that.
Pakistanis should consider them privileged that the treaty has not been annulled and India still respects each and every clause of it.Can we expect similar behaviour from Pakistan ?

 

[foxbat]

India entered into an obligation by signing the Indus Water Treaty and assured Pakistan of a fair share of water from rivers all of which flow from India.India also paid huge amount of money to Pakistan as a part of the treaty.

Now, how does Pakistan thank India for that generosity ? By creating an insurgency and launching a surprise attack on India only 5 years later.Many other things followed after that.
Pakistanis should consider them privileged that the treaty has not been annulled and India still respects each and every clause of it.Can we expect similar behaviour from Pakistan ?

Actually, with substantial business interests in J&K, I know that since last 7-8 years, we have been messing around with the treaty quite a lot. Nothing significant, but one accidental hold back of water for a few days in May and another accidental unplanned release in August. As I said somewhere before, India possesses the means and now the will to punish disturbing of status quo in Kashmir.