Congressional report raises question on Indus Water Treaty

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Feb 23 (PTI) With an increase in demand for
water and energy resources in both India and Pakistan, a
Congressional report has questioned the long-term
effectiveness of the Indus Water Treaty, which has been
successfully implemented for more than six decades between the
two South Asian neighbours.
"While the IWT has maintained stability in the region
over water, experts question the treaty's long-term
effectiveness in light of chronic tensions between India and
Pakistan over the Kashmir region, where a significant portion
of the Indus River's headwaters originate," it said adding
that as the existing agriculture system becomes more
water-intensive and, in some areas, more inefficient, water
may prove to be a source of instability in South Asia.
The report, "Avoiding Water Wars: Water Scarcity and
Central Asia's Growing Importance for Stability in Afghanistan
and Pakistan," sheds light on the drivers of water scarcity in
Central and South Asia and provides recommendations for how
the US should strategically approach water-related issues,
particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Written by the majority staff of Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, the report draws attention to the growing problem
of water scarcity in Central and South Asia and how it has the
potential to exacerbate existing regional conflicts and lead
to new ones.
"While much of our focus currently rests on Afghanistan
and Pakistan, we must also consider the interests in the
shared waters by India and the neighbouring five Central Asian
countries —Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
Turkmenistan," John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee said in a statement.
"In addition, others question whether the IWT can address
India's growing use of the shared waters and Pakistan's
increasing demand for these waters for agricultural purposes,"
said the 28-page report.
"Signed in 1960, the IWT is considered as the world's
most successful water treaty, having remained relatively
intact for 50 years and having withstood four Indo-Pak wars,"
it added. (MORE) PTI LKJ
AVT



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