Water, a source of conflict in South Asia

As in many places in the world, water in South Asia is a source of conflict. In mountainous and underpopulated areas it is in abundance, but rare in densely inhabited areas of plains and tablelands; it therefore creates tensions among the states of the sub-continent as well as within the states themselves. From their creation in 1947, India and Pakistan quarrelled over sharing the waters of the Indus and its tributaries. The treaty of 1960, concluded with the help of the World Bank and signed by the two countries, put an end to tensions which were becoming dangerous as they involved highly populated agricultural areas. It was a considerable achievement, even if some problems remain, particularly in Kashmir. Between India and Bangladesh, disagreements are still in evidence, despite the conclusion of an agreement in 1996 over the sharing of the Ganges waters. The development of the Brahmaputra basin also fosters misunderstandings between these two countries, to which China is not indifferent. The harnessing with India of the main Nepalese rivers, particularly the Mahakali delineating the frontier, gives birth to nationalist reactions within the Himalayan kingdom. The displacement of populations, often tribals ones, and the construction of big dams sometimes generates sharp debates between provinces in India, in Pakistan, and in Sri Lanka. The need to develop irrigation and electricity power, in order to match a sharp population increase, is sometimes detrimental to the protection of the environment. The public interest may be at variance with the private interest.