Water-Sharing between India and Pakistan: A Critical Evaluation of the Indus Water Treaty

Prior to partition in 1947, the people who live to the East and West of the Indus River border that crosses between India and Pakistan used their shared river and its tributaries to sustain the region's farms, industries and cities. In recent years, Indians within the five Indus states and Pakistanis in its four Indus provinces are using more water, leading to deteriorating water quality and decreasing water availability. For over 40 years, the competition for the Indus' water between Pakistan and India has been moderated by a relatively stable Indus Water Treaty (IWT). In May 2005, however, a disagreement between the two countries over India's construction of a hydroelectric project on the Chenab River, an Indus tributary, was referred to a neutral third party for resolution. While both sides have adhered to the terms of the IWT in the past, rising demand for water in each nation could unsettle this stable relationship, as foreshadowed by the involvement of a third party for the first time in the treaty's history. The text of the IWT could allow each party to find flexibility to address rising demands. Given both the historic and economic significance of the Indus River for each nation, addressing these issues could benefit each side and prevent conflict.