About another water front

As the tensions between India and Pakistan turned into an armed conflict, a national consultation workshop in Islamabad on Tuesday warned against a possible dispute over sharing of the Kabul river water between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The River Kabul is one of the seven trans-border rivers shared by both the countries. Originating in the Hindu Kush mountain region in Afghanistan it travels 700kms before merging into the Indus at Attock. It not only caters to the freshwater needs of two major cities — Kabul and Jalalabad — it also serves energy needs of Afghanistan with a few dams built on it. Pakistan has also developed the Kabul River for some of its power requirements.

Amid reports that India is helping the Afghanistan government to build hydro-electric plants and irrigation diversion projects on the Kabul River, the experts at the workshop stressed urgent need for an understanding and signing of some agreement between Islamabad and Kabul about the use and sharing of water from trans-border rivers. The advice seems timely, especially coming only days after a central minister of India threatened to restrict flow of water thus depriving Pakistan of its agreed share.

Pakistan and India were helped by the World Bank to reach an understanding over water sharing of the six trans-border rivers. Signed in 1960 and known as the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), it mandated that India would have control and rights over three eastern rivers — Beas, Ravi and Sutlej — while Pakistan was given control and rights over the three western rivers — Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. Pakistan has recently accused India of diverting the waters of rivers assigned to it under the IWT, of course in a bid to run Pakistan dry.

The message coming from the Islamabad workshop should be taken not only as a concern but a timely warning about Pakistan being caught up over some water dispute with another neighbour.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.