Pakistan’s Transboundary Water Challenge

Abstract

Pakistan’s water economy is overwhelmingly reliant on the Indus River – a river that flows across international political boundaries, and is thus transboundary in nature. Over the last two decades, the waters of the Indus have become subject to contentious hydro-politics between Pakistan and its neighbouring riparians – India, Afghanistan and China – due to population and development pressures on one hand, and climate change induced water variability on the other. This chapter aims to analyse the underlying complexity and political economy of riparian relations on the Indus. It starts by outlining Pakistan’s dependency and vulnerability with respect to its position in the Indus Basin, and summarises the most pressing dimensions of Pakistan’s transboundary water challenge related to each of its riparian neighbours. The chapter then examines the existing legal and institutional apparatus for managing transboundary water issues in the Indus Basin with a view to revealing the gaps and weaknesses that must be addressed for more effective transboundary water and benefit sharing. As the way forward for greater water security on Pakistan’s transboundary front, the chapter advocates small steps in hydro-diplomacy to move from a “water sharing” perspective to a “benefit sharing” approach that binds all riparian countries to work for a sustainable water future for the Indus.