Water War: An Impending Truth

Water is the essential part of human life. ‘Right over water’ is one of the basic human rights. But over the past few years, this right has come under severe threat as several countries are trying to gain complete control over the rivers that flow through their heartland carrying major volumes of water and flowing into another country where the river is either on it’s downstream or the volume of water carried is less. In a nutshell, we can say that major conspiracies of gaining the benefits of the trans-boundary rivers by countries at the upstream are gradually gaining momentum. The recent statement made by the Indian government regarding the Indus Water Treaty and the sudden rise in the turbidity of the Brahmaputra (with fingers being pointed at China of constructing dams over the Yarlung Tsangpo to divert its course) have raised quite a few eyebrows. Questions are being asked if there looms a threat of a Water War between India and Pakistan and India and China, where Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal would eventually turn out to be sorry spectators? It is a catch-22 situation for each of the countries. Partha Prawal tries to analyse the possibilities of a water war between India and China and India and Pakistan and its consequences. The author also tries to find out if at all there is a possibility of water wars and if there is then why?

Water Conflicts in India

Disputes over water/river in India is pretty old and it date backs to the time when the country was ruled by several princely kingdoms. However, under the British rule, these conflicts gradually came down but after independence, the sporadic disputes began to emerge from different parts of the country. And according to government information, these disputes over the years have only increased and presently there are eight (8) major Inter-State water disputes in the country. The list below highlights the eight major water disputes of India.

Even though the conflict between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam over the Brahmaputra is not on official records, however, over the years it has become evident that there is an undercurrent regarding the water sharing of the river between the two states.

Sharvan Bharali, a Dhemaji-based freelance journalist, while interacting with Northeast Today said, “I think it is very natural for any country or a state in the upstream of a river to take advantage of its water resources. I have lived my life here in Dhemaji. Over the decades I have witnessed the Brahmaputra behave abruptly in a number of occasions. And each time the Brahmaputra has inundated surprisingly, bringing in large-scale devastation in Assam, especially in Dhemaji. I feel, somewhere there is an Arunachal Pradesh hand in all these. I feel they are trying to control the Brahmaputra in their favour. But all these are my mere assumptions.”