WATER CONFLICTS IN INDIA

AGENDA
1. Overview and Growing importance of water in India
2. What is a conflict ?
3. What are Water rights ?
4. Domestic conflicts
5. International conflicts
6. Success story
7. Conclusion
GROWING IMPORTANCE OF
WATER IN INDIA
NEWS
 WHAT IS A CONFLICT?
Water conflict is a term describing a conflict between countries, states, or groups over an access to water
resources.The United Nations recognizes that water disputes result from opposing interests of water users, public
or private. A wide range of water conflicts appear throughout history, though rarely are traditional wars waged
over water alone. Instead, water has historically been a source of tension and a factor in conflicts that start for
other reasons. However, water conflicts arise for several reasons, including territorial disputes, a fight for
resources, and strategic advantage. A comprehensive online database of water-related conflicts—the Water
Conflict Chronology—has been developed by the Pacific Institute . This database lists violence over water going
back nearly 5,000 years.
These conflicts occur over both freshwater and saltwater, and both between and within nations. However,
conflicts occur mostly over freshwater; because freshwater resources are necessary, yet scarce, they are the
center of water disputes arising out of need for potable water, irrigation and energy generation. As freshwater is
a vital, yet unevenly distributed natural resource, its availability often impacts the living and economic conditions
of a country or region. The lack of cost-effective water supply options in areas like the Middle East, among other
elements of water crises can put severe pressures on all water users, whether corporate, government, or
individual, leading to tension, and possibly aggression. Recent humanitarian catastrophes, such as the Rwandan
Genocide or the war in Sudanese Darfur, have been linked back to water conflicts.
 Causes

Water conflicts occur because the demand for water resources and potable water can exceed supply, or because
control over access and allocation of water may be disputed. Elements of a water crisis may put pressures on
affected parties to obtain more of a shared water resource, causing diplomatic tension or outright conflict.
11% of the global population, or 783 million people, are still without access to improved sources of drinking
water [15] which provides the catalyst for potential for water disputes. Besides life, water is necessary for
proper sanitation, commercial services, and the production of commercial goods. Thus numerous types of
parties can become implicated in a water dispute. For example, corporate entities may pollute water resources
shared by a community, or governments may argue over who gets access to a river used as an international or
inter-state boundary.
The broad spectrum of water disputes makes them difficult to address. Local and international law, commercial
interests, environmental concerns, and human rights questions make water disputes complicated to solve –
combined with the sheer number of potential parties, a single dispute can leave a large list of demands to be
met by courts and lawmakers.
WATER RIGHT – WHOSE RIGHTS?

Theory of absolute territorial sovereignty- irrespective of the consequences in

other countries and without the duty to consult, every nation can utilise the waters
of an international river flowing on its territory, as it likes.

 Theory of absolute territorial integrity- the lower riparian of an international

river has the right to a full flow of water of natural quality and intrusion with
the natural flow by the upstream state require the consent of the
downstream riparian.

 Theory of limited territorial sovereignty- This theory states that every state
may and is free to enjoy the use of water flowing through their territory as
long as such utilization does not disturb the rights and interest of co-
riparian.
 INTERSTATE RIVER WATER DISPUTE ACT

• Up stream sates(USS): Irrigation and over

-1956 under Article262 (Indian parliament consumption
Use
approval)

-Aim: To resolve the water disputes

• USS: Huge reservoirs leading to evaporation,
dams, water quality
in use, control or
Control • DSS: interventions that may lead to floods
distribution of

inter-state rivers/ river valleys

-To Who? : Central government • USS: Canals and other branches (+ Dams)
Distribute
receives a
 CONSTITUTION OF TRIBUNAL
Water disputes could be raised for two independent parts:
 Actions of downstream state affecting the interest of an upstream state
 Actions of upstream state affecting the interest of an downstream
state
1. Man made action of transferring river water outside the river basin (e.g. Irrigation, reservoirs … etc.)
2. Activities affecting water quality (e.g. Industrial waste, near by mining activities… etc.)

-When to intervene? (Section 4 of IRWD)

-Does it only stand at the tribunal of the case? (Section 5.2)
-Investigation of effect on public domain, ecology, sustainability .. Etc.)
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT OF INDIA
Tsangpo-Brahmaputra ( Indo – china conflict)
China’s grand plans to harness the waters of the Brahmaputra River have set off
ripples of anxiety in the two lower riparian states: India and Bangladesh.

China’s construction of dams and the proposed diversion of the Brahmaputra’s

waters is expected to have repercussions for water flow,
agriculture, ecology, and lives and livelihoods downstream.

The Chinese government has approved hydropower projects along the

Brahmaputra. It maintains that all these are run-of-the-river projects that involve
no storage or diversion and that they will not affect the river’s downstream flow
into northeast India.

Still, its plans have generated apprehensions in India’s Northeast and in Bangladesh,
where the Brahmaputra is a veritable lifeline and a
 CONTI…
More worrying than China’s construction of hydropower dams on the Brahmaputra
is the proposed northward rerouting of its waters.

This diversion would result in a significant drop in the river’s water level as it enters
India. It will have a serious impact on agriculture and fishing in the downstream
areas as the salinity of water will increase.

 The lack of communication on the issue is deepening suspicion and

tension.

This underscores the need for dialogue that includes all the riparian countries.
CONTI…
Mahakali River treaty ( Indo- Nepal)
The Territorial disputes of India and Nepal include Kalapani 400 km2 and Susta
140 km2 . Nepal claims that the river to the west of Kalapani is the main Kali
river, hence it belongs to Nepal.
India insists that the river to the east of Kalapani is the main Kali river, and therefore
claim the Kalapani area belongs to India. The river borders the Nepalese zone of
Mahakali and the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
The Kali River runs through an area that includes a disputed area of about 400
km² around the source of the river.
The dispute intensified in 1997 as the Nepali parliament considered a treaty on
hydro-electric development of the river.
The Mahakali Treaty basically aims at an integrated development of water
resources in the Mahakali River and has been finalized on the basis of equal
partnership.
SUCCESS STORY
Indus Waters Treaty (Indo- Pak)
The Indus river has its source in Indian Kashmir and flows through Pakistan. It is
the primary freshwater source for Pakistan. Agriculture being the mainstay of the
economy in both countries, their dependence on the Indus and its tributaries is
implicit.

From the Indian point of view, there was nothing that Pakistan could do to prevent
India from any of the schemes to divert the flow of
water in the rivers. Pakistan’s position was dismal and India could do
whatever it wanted.

 Pakistani fear that since the source rivers of the Indus basin were
in India, it could potentially create droughts and famines in Pakistan led to The
Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank. The treaty was signed in Karachi
on September 19, 1960.
CONTI..

According to this agreement, control over Beas, Ravi and Sutlej was given to India
and the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum to Pakistan.
Since Pakistan's rivers flow through India first, the treaty allowed India to use them
for irrigation, transport and power generation, while laying down precise do's and
don'ts for Indian building projects along the way.

The treaty is considered to be one of the most successful watersharing endeavours

in the world today. Since the ratification of the treaty in 1960, India and Pakistan
have not engaged in any water wars.
CONCLUSION
Conflicts over water are not necessarily over water, or triggered by scarcity.

 They are a reflection of social and power relations.

 They are socially embedded.

 They can be multi-layered, have a historical dimension.

 They are enmeshed in local struggles for supremacy and power.

THANK YOU