India's Suspension of Indus Water Treaty: A Threat to Pakistan's Water Security

Pakistan faces a critical threat to its water security after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, a 60-year-old agreement that allocates water resources between the two countries. The suspension of the treaty is believed to be a strategic move by India to harm Pakistan's economy and destabilize the region. The treaty, signed in 1960, allocated the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas) to India and the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) to Pakistan.

Key Takeaways:

• The Indus Water Treaty is a critical agreement that allocates water resources between India and Pakistan, with the three western rivers allocated to Pakistan.
• The treaty has been in place since 1960, despite strained relations between the two countries.
• India has suspended the treaty, citing external factors such as terrorist attacks, and has taken unilateral measures to harm Pakistan's water security.
• Pakistan is facing water scarcity, with predictions that it will turn water-scarce by 2035, according to the World Bank's 2006 report.
• The four pronged strategy proposed to avoid water scarcity includes: a right-based, result-oriented, legal and diplomatic campaign for the restoration of IWT, accelerated construction of large, small, and mini dams, conserving water through introduction of high efficiency/pressurized irrigation systems, and improving yield per acre.

Statistics:

• Pakistan will turn water-scarce by 2035, according to the World Bank's 2006 report.
• The Indus River originates in China and travels through disputed territories before entering Pakistan.
• The Jhelum originates in Indian Occupied Kashmir, while two tributaries of Chenab also meet in IOK, and travel through it, before entering Pakistan.
• Tarbela Dam on the Indus has a usable capacity of 6 million acre feet (MAF), down from over 9 MAF due to high volumes of silt entering its reservoir.
• Diamer-Bhasha Dam, currently under construction, will provide 10.38 MAF of water and increase the life of Tarbela Dam by 35 years.
• Small and mini dams can mitigate floods and droughts at a local level, with the author instrumental in constructing several mini dams throughout Pakistan.

Sources:

• "Pakistan's Water Economy Running Dry", World Bank, 2006.
• International Water Association.
• International Court of Justice.
• Permanent Court of Arbitration.
• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).