Sage-Tips

Why is there a water conflict between India and Pakistan?

As the boundary between India and Pakistan cut across many of the river’s tributaries, an upstream-downstream power structure emerged, which has been the source of tensions between the two countries, particularly in response to dam projects in Indian-administered territory (see Kishanganga Dam conflict).

Why we need to build dams in Pakistan?

Dams are important because they provide water for domestic, industry and irrigation purposes. Dams often also provide hydroelectric power production and river navigation. Dams and their reservoirs provide recreation areas for fishing and boating.

How have India and Pakistan solve their problem of sharing of river water?

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. India has about 20\% of the total water carried by the Indus system while Pakistan has 80\%.

Why the groundwater in Pakistan is getting lower?

Due to excessive pumping, Pakistan’s groundwater abstraction rates have exceeded the annual recharge rate of 55 cubic kilometres per year. Consequently, groundwater tables are lowering rapidly in different parts of the country.

Why dams are important in India?

Dams are said to be an important source of water supply and high importance for various other reasons. They supply the water for the various means including domestic use, irrigation purposes and also for the industrial uses. Dams are also involved in the hydroelectric power generation and in the river navigation.

What is purpose of dam?

The primary purpose of dams is for storage and safe retention of water in large quantity which is subsequently released to achieve various purposes such as irrigation, hydropower, recreation, water supply, flood prevention etc.

What was concluded between India and Pakistan in the Indus water treaty?

Indus Waters Treaty, treaty, signed on September 19, 1960, between India and Pakistan and brokered by the World Bank. The treaty fixed and delimited the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of the waters of the Indus River system.

What are the main features of the Indus water treaty of 1960 between Pakistan and India?

The Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. At the same time, the Treaty allows each country certain uses on the rivers allocated to the respective other country.

How does Pakistan get water?

The Indus River is the major source of water for the more than 180 million people of Pakistan. A rapidly increasing population over the past 60 years has created new pressures on water that was once a plentiful resource for the health and development of the country.

How will India’s relationship with Pakistan affect the Kabul River?

How that relationship develops will determine India’s future water availability and in turn how India behaves towards downstream Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan and Afghanistan have no water sharing agreement for the Kabul River, an important tributary of the Indus which supplies up to 17\% of Pakistan’s total water.

What is the water dispute between India and Pakistan about?

Pakistan was granted rights to most of the water in the region’s western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — which flow through Indian-administered Kashmir. The dispute over the Kashmir region — a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for more than six decades — is hugely intertwined with water security.

Will Afghanistan’s hydropower project on the Indus River lead to conflict with Pakistan?

Similarly, Pakistan and Afghanistan have no water sharing agreement for the Kabul River, an important tributary of the Indus which supplies up to 17\% of Pakistan’s total water. As Afghanistan strives to develop its hydropower, with the help of Indian finance, this could instigate a whole new conflict on the Indus itself.

Can India build dams on the Indus River?

For instance, India recently fast-tracked approval for several major dams along the Chenab, a 900km-long tributary of the Indus that was originally allotted to Pakistan under the IWT. This follows several other contentious dams already being built on shared rivers including Kishanganga, on the Jhelum River, which was also allotted to Pakistan.