Introduction
Pakistan could be water scarce by 2025. In recent months, this prediction has generated headlines and galvanized the country as a whole. However, this is not new information; the UN, IMF, and Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) have been deliberating potential water scarcity for the past few years. The fact that the seriousness of this danger was not well known within the Pakistani populous for so long is unsurprising, as the warnings of water security experts have been largely ignored. But today—primarily due to three events that occurred this past year—the water crisis seems to be getting the attention that it deserves. First, Pakistan’s Permanent Indus Commission objected to the Kishanganga hydroelectric project initiated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on grounds that it violated the Indus Water Treaty. Simultaneously, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources predicted that Pakistan could “run dry” by 2025. Both of these events catalyzed public outcry and brought the severity of the situation into mainstream discussion. These first two events then culminated in the most tangible representation of the urgency of the water crisis: The Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Diamer-Bhasha created the Mohmand Dams Fund — an attempt initiated by the Chief Justice of Pakistan to crowdsource $14 billion for the construction of a large dam. These events successfully created awareness amongst the public regarding the severity of the crisis Pakistan faces. At the same time, this awareness has led to the spread of rampant misinformation about the nature of the water crisis. The general public has yet to understand what the water crisis is, how it is to be defined, what its causes are, and where the solutions lie.What is India’s role in Pakistan’s water crisis and how effective are the existing mechanisms, namely the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, in safeguarding Pakistan’s interests?
Indus Basin Overview
The Indus River is Pakistan’s lifeline. Originating from Tibet in the upper reaches of the Himalaya, the river moves through Indian-controlled Kashmir (a disputed territory) and finally enters its most dependent area, across the international boundary into downstream Pakistan. It flows through the fertile plains of Punjab and then Sindh, eventually draining into the Arabian Sea.
The British expanded the irrigation network in sheer size and scale to the point where the Indus Basin in Pakistan is the largest irrigation network in the world, accounting for seventy-one percent of the country’s territory. The Basin is directly responsible for the employment of nearly half of Pakistan’s labor force and a quarter of the gross domestic product. Given the size, magnitude, and dependence Pakistan places on the basin, it would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of the Basin in the security calculus of the country.
Some Related Questions,
- What is and what is not the water crisis — how to define exactly the causes, components, and realities of Pakistan’s true water crisis?
- What steps should be taken by all stakeholders that will contribute to improving the understanding, management, and distribution of water resources?
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