WORLD WATER DAY AND WATER AGGRESSION IN SOUTH ASIA

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water”

Indeed, water is essential for life. As UN reports, by the year 2025, one-third of the world population will be left deprived, without access to clean-drinking water.  To develop awareness about the water security issues, water deficiency and water pollution, International Water Day is commemorated every year on March 22. This year marked the 26th World Water Day. The leading idea of the event was to make efforts to reduce the occurrences of floods, droughts and to limit the impact of water pollution.

As with the individuals, the availability of water or its non-availability can translate into strategic life or death for nations. The life of Pakistan is dependent upon the Indus River Water System. It is vital for the economy, as the river system provides water for agriculture and power production. If Kashmir is the ‘jugular veins’, the Indus River is like the blood in the veins of Pakistan. Quite rightly so; the annual water flow in the Indus River Delta is twice that of the Nile and three-times that of the Tigris-Euphrates river systems. However, environmental crisis coupled with rapid surge in population has led to the diminishing of available water resources, so much so that only 1000 MAF water is available per individual.

At the time of the Partition, the rivers were not divided. At the Inter-dominion Accords of May 4, 1948, Pakistan was forced to agree to an annual payment of funds for the release of water by India. According to civilized international political customs, the upper riparian state is the trustee of waters of the lower riparian; expecting such decency from India was a lunatic’s dream. To avoid regression in bilateral ties, Pakistan and India signed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in 1960. The eastern rivers were allotted to India while the western rivers were awarded to Pakistan. The World Bank played the role of mediator and arbiter in the IWT.

Over the last half a century, India has violated the letter and spirit of this treaty many a time. Be it the Baglihar Dam in the past, or the Kishanganga and the Ratle dams in present, India has always employed aggressive diplomatic tactics against Pakistan. She has lobbied in the World Bank and International Court of Arbitration to damage the interests of Pakistan. Such efforts have harmed the spirit of the IWT.

In 2007, India won the Baglihar Dam case.  She became intractable after this success and started building more dams on the western rivers. In 2007, India started the construction of the Kishanganga Dam on Jhelum (Hydaspes) River. The design of the dam was a source of concern as it violated the IWT. Thus, Pakistan took India to the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2010. Pakistan’s version was that the height of the gates of the dam, at 98 meters, was in clear violation to the agreements in the IWT. The Court halted the permanent construction processes of the Kishanganga Dam. India went back to the Court after a minor change in the design. In 2013, making a controversial decision, the Chairman of the Court, Judge Stephen M. Schwebel allowed India not only to construct dam but also gave permission to divert water by 24 kilometers. The verdict stated that India was only bound to release a minimum quantity of water just enough sufficient to maintain the environmental flows. The water flow at 9m³/sec was seven times lower than the usual flow of the river. The decision was in contrast to the leading idea of the 2013 World Water Day, “International Cooperation”. The decision also violated the Treaty’s Article I (13) and (15), Article V (9) and Annexure C. Hence, no agreement could be reached between Pakistan and India.

After this failure, at the 2013 Permanent Indus Commission, India indicated the desire to build the Ratle Dam on the Chenab River. The design of the dam was more contentious than the Kishanganga Dam since the gates of the Ratle dam were placed at the height of 133 meters. Pakistan and India, both went to the World Bank to resolve the dispute. Pakistan proposed that the International Court of Arbitration was the right forum to decide the matter but India was bent on employing the neutral technical experts to clear the design of the dam. As the two countries could not agree on mode of settlement of the dispute, the World Bank delayed the resolution process fearing that the IWT would be put in danger.

In September 2016, after the alleged terrorist attack on Indian military headquarter in Uri, the Prime Minister of India indicated in an interview that he would stop honoring the IWT. Shortly after, he was informed that India could not revoke the IWT unilaterally according to the Article XII (4) of the treaty. Modi administration has failed to comprehend that the terrorism in India is not sponsored by Pakistan. In fact, such attacks are the product of the scores of movements of self-determination and liberation in India. Indian water aggression in the region is an open secret. The control of Bhutan’s water resources in the guise of power projects or floods in Bangladesh on annual basis, India has always used water resources to accomplish her malicious objectives. The construction of dams on Jhelum and Chenab Rivers has allowed India to flood millions of acres of crops in Pakistan. Now, she is bent on flooding Pakistan from the western frontier by constructing 22 dams on the Kabul River. Thus, India is engaging in a non-kinetic military action against Pakistan.

China is the Upper Riparian of India. In 2016, it halted the flow of Brahmaputra River to construct a dam. In view of this fact, Pakistan employed diplomatic tactics to limit Indian water aggression in the region. At the sixth, Joint Cooperation Committee of the CPEC, Pakistan recommended to include water security as a leading tenet of the CPEC. The purpose of this development was to secure water for the agriculture and energy needs as well as to acquire ability to defend against Indian non-kinetic action.

The member of the Advisory Committee of the UN-sponsored World Water Scenarios, Dr. Ismail Seragaldin alarmed that the wars of the 21st century will be fought to wrest the control of water ways and fresh-water resources. Therefore, to limit tension in the region, Pakistan must involve international community to respond to the Indian malevolence so they can convince India to implement the leading idea of the 2018 World Water Day.