| Most South Asian countries are riparian pairs for they
are linked by great trans-boundary rivers, which are bound by treaties
e.g. India and Pakistan are Indus
riparian pairs; while India and Bangladesh share the Brahmaputra River; Nepal
and India share Koshi, Mahakali and several others. Additionally, Pakistan and
Afghanistan share nine important rivers including Kabul River. Though there are
some cases of successful cooperation, water treaties in South Asia are often
politicized; thereby obstructing cooperation in shared water resources.
Problems related to water security in the region are fundamentally the
consequences of lack of political consensus among disputing countries that gets
transformed into security threats. Thus, it is important to liberate shared
water resources from hard-line political interests and create an environment of
mutual trust between resource sharing partners to avoid sensitive South Asian
water security problems.
This paper studies conflict and cooperation dynamics
of the politics of South Asian shared rivers, thereby exploring national
political interests of the countries in the region vis-a-vis water security
using pragmatic analysis of conflict and cooperation cases in the shared
rivers. Important information is generated by interviewing water sector
experts, policy makers and other related stakeholders. Historical treaties like
Indus Treaty, Mahakali Treaty, and Ganges Treaty are also studied and analysed.
The study finds that South Asian countries are keen to
avoid water conflicts and move towards cooperation and water security; but, the
political environment among riparian pairs has not been productive.
Specifically, conflict is evident in multi-purpose dam and diversion projects
in shared rivers. Most shared rivers are treated politically; thereby fostering
misunderstanding and doubt among people and policy makers. Though countries in
the region say regional cooperation is a must thing, it has not been taken
seriously in practicality. Negotiations and discussions over the conflicting
issues of shared water resources are still on-going.
The paper recommends that it is important to
create a conducive environment for change and regional cooperation for overall
water security of the region. Unjust control, unfair allocation, and development
projects of debated importance in the shared water resources need to be
readdressed and transformed for regional water security and development. Hence,
political willingness and commitment is the most important thing in settling
water conflicts and establishing new trends towards water security and
cooperative outcomes.
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