Water Issues in South Asia
If there is any single most important issue that mars bilateral
relations among the countries of the subcontinent, it is water. The
issues of cross-border water distribution, utilisation, management and
mega irrigation/hydro-electric power projects affecting the upper and
lower riparian countries are gradually taking centre-stage in defining
interstate relations as water scarcity increases and both drought and
floods make life too often miserable.
Thanks to its location, size and contiguous borders with other South
Asian countries, it is India, in its capacity as both upper and lower
riparian, that has come into conflict with most of its neighbours,
except Bhutan, on the cross-border water issues. Given an atmosphere
of mistrust, an upper riparian India has serious issues to resolve
with lower riparian Pakistan and Bangladesh and, despite being lower
riparian, with the upper riparian Nepal. This, however, does not mean
that India is solely responsible for certain deadlocks, even though
its share of responsibility may be larger than other countries which
have their own physical limitations and political apprehensions.
As elsewhere in the world, and more particularly in the subcontinent
where population explosion continues and environmental degradation
worsens, water resources, like energy, are going to be much lower than
the increasing demand, even if they are harnessed to the most optimum.
Given the depleting resources of water, the issues of human security,
and water security as its most crucial part, are going to assume
astronomical proportions. The issues of water distribution and
management are bringing not only countries of the region, but also
states and regions within provinces into conflict since they are not
being settled amicably within a grand framework of riparian statutes
respecting upstream and downstream rights.
What is, however, quite appreciable is that the countries of the
subcontinent have made certain remarkable efforts to resolve their
differences over water distribution through bilateral agreements.
India and Pakistan signed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in 1960
allocating three eastern rivers (Ravi, Sutlej and Beas) to India and
Every person requires water for survival. So what would happen if we ran out? North China is undergoing a serious water crisis, which holds a large part of China’s agriculture and population, with China’s government attempting to gain control of the situation they have decided to bring in water from the south. North China does have many factors contributing to it’s water issue at hand, however, in my opinion there are three main issues which the government should gain control of, or the three biggest causes of China’s crisis. these causes include urbanization, global warming, and the worst for last, industry.
In December of 1915 a huge step for the rights of Peasants in Peru was taken. Juan Pevez was born in Ica, Peru and in 1915 he lead an uprising against the Picasso family who ran the that Pevez worked on. In Water!, an excerpt from Pevez’s autobiography, a dispute over rights to water is described and how the peasants overcame . Southern Peru does not see much rain during the year, so when it does come it is an extremely valued commodity. In December 1915 a very unusual thing happened. The water came much earlier that year and to the peasant's surprise it went unnoticed by the estate owners. In that time the estate owners unlawfully kept the water from the peasants until their own fields were irrigated. The water came that year in the middle of the night so the estate owners were clueless. Unaware that they had the same rights to the water as the estate owners, the farmers were reluctant to open up the Sluice gates that allowed the water to enter their own small canals to irrigate their land. Juan Pevez, who was enrolled in the School of Agronomy informed the farmers that legally they had a right to the water. Trusting Pevez, they all opened their gates to irrigate their fields unbeknownst to the landowners. Soon, morning came and the “stolen” water was noticed and a brawl broke out between the serfs and the estate owners. After being broken up the peasants formed a delegation to make a plea to the Technical Commission to state their concern about the unfair distribution of water. The director of the commission, Ezequiel Gago, heard both sides argument. In December 1915 history was made when Gago ruled in favor of the Peasants. That was the first time in the history of the valley that a group of peasants won a case against a powerful landowner like Picasso.
China’s water supply is running out faster than it can be replaced. Water is being polluted by the environment, wasted because of the law, and a lot of water is being used due to it's growing industry. What is driving China’s water scarcity crisis? China's water scarcity crisis is mainly caused by the government mispricing water, industrialization, and urbanization.
“Over the last three decades, China has experienced breakneck growth, changing from a poor, agricultural country to one of the leading industrial powers of the 21st century. Yet water scarcity has the potential to undermine China’s transformation.”, BGE DBQ Online 2017. Water is a very important natural resource that the United States thankfully has access to everyday. In China, however, the economy is being plagued with an extreme growing crisis of water scarcity which has major complications on daily life. Three major factors that impact and make the situation in China worse is the growth in water pollution(document E), global warming and its effect on the water supply(document A), and lastly the way water is used throughout China( Document
Water shortage is a growing problem for most countries in the world. For China, which has 20% of world’s population and only 7% of available water resources, this problem may become catastrophic (Hofstedt 2010, 72). Therefore some actions and measures should be performed to avoid or at least to weaken future water crisis in China. In this work the following three solutions will be proposed and analyzed in terms of efficiency and applicability: water usage efficiency improvement; adopting the local agencies on controlling water resources; reasonable water pricing.
This paper will answer the question, is it ethical to use fresh water as a political or military good? As water decreases in availability in the future, fresh water will be used as a political and military good more and more. Water is one of the few fundamental elements needed to sustain human life. As conflicts arise in the water strained areas of the world, it will be very enticing for one group to hold their opponents water hostage. Without access to fresh water the opponents would have no chance of winning a war and would have to give in to the first group’s demands.
Norton, James H.K. India and South Asia. 9th ed. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2010.
In 1970, East Pakistan, about the size of Wisconsin, had a substantial population of 66 million, meaning that each square kilometer holds about 400 people (Disaster 174). It is located precisely where two large river systems, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, unite to form the biggest delta in the world, the Ganges River Delta. A delta is a triangular deposit of sediment at the mouth of a river, naturally where it diverges. The two rivers conduct silt from as far as the Himalayas to the floodplains of Bangladesh, which are about 1,200 miles apart. Being one of the world’s most fertile croplands, the floodplain is densely populated. Farmers are forced to move farther and farther out into the delta, triggering them to face the perilous monsoon season, which is from June to October. One third of East Pakistan is no more than twenty feet above sea level, maximizing the death toll of life-threatening storms (History 3). The a...
There is a global shortage of drinking water. A person might wonder how this can be if seventy percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water. Most of the Earth’s water is unsuitable for human consuption. Ocean water is salt water, which makes up 97.5% of all water on the planet. Freshwater is only 3.5% of all the water on Earth. Drinking water is sourced from bodies of freshwater.
One main causes of water scarcity is water mismanagement worldwide. Water mismanagement has become a crisis of governance that will impact heavily ...
Poverty is one of the primary concerns the world faces in its road to development. Eradication of poverty tends to be the prime aims of governments worldwide. Lack of proper nutrition is a major cause contributing to poverty. Improving agricultural standards can help in producing more food and thus counter the lack of food factor. One way to improve agricultural standards is to develop the irrigation methods used. Irrigation is closely related to poverty. Irrigation benefits the poor through higher production, higher yields, low risk of crop failure and higher and year round farm and non-farm employment. Irrigation leads to high value market oriented agricultural production [1]. However, in developing countries like India, the agricultural sector is heavily dependent on the south-west monsoons. In view of the rising temperatures worldwide due to global warming and changes of weather patterns associated with it, dependence on rains is not always a possible solution. Failure of proper rains can cripple the agricultural sector which can lead to an overall rise in poverty. Thus...
“Water is the lifeblood of this planet. Every time a good is bought or sold there is a virtual exchange of water. Every time we interact with water, we change it, redirect it, or otherwise alter its state. We have never learned how to efficiently manage water.”(Cluckie, 2009) Ian Cluckie, Professor of Hydrology and Water Management, emphasizes the fact that humans can’t survive without water. Although water is a renewable resource that can replenish under hydrological cycles, our intervention has interrupted its natural cycle causing its supply to decrease.(Cluckie, 2009)
Agriculture is the lynchpin in the economy of Pakistan and 67% population of this country is living in rural areas with more than 60% earning their bread and butter directly or indirectly through this sector. Pakistan is also blessed with integrated and largest irrigation system of Pakistan serving approximately 18 million hectare of cultivated land. The water of the Indus River and its principal tributaries (Kabul, Swat, and Kunar from the West, Jehlum, Chanab, from the East) feed this system. Thus the reliance of Pakistan agriculture Pakistan on this irrigated system as more than 80 percent of agricultural output comes from irrigated farms. Likewise, 40% of the world’s food supply is produced on the irrigated land (Johnson III 1995). However, canal water is a critical input for agricultural productivity and it’s inadequate and non-availability at critical stages of the crop is forcing farmers devoid of timely application on inputs resulting considerable reduction in yields. It is also apt to mention that agriculture uses 95% of water in Pakistan compared to domestic or industrial usage (Bhatti et al., 2009). The requirement of Water in Agriculture was 149 Million Acre Feet in 2000 and 215 MAF in 2013 and will rise to 277 Million Acre Feet in the year 2025. This situation warrants for immediate action as further deterioration will be suicidal and can harm the federal fabric of this country as well.
Water is an integral part of not only human beings but all other creatures in the world. We use it every day for different purposes such as domestic, agricultural and industrial. Water has always been a prestigious resource. However, the majority of people do not appraise water’s worth since they do not face water scarcity; whereas, in third world countries it is one of the most serious problems. Nearly 2.4 billion people have a lack of water resources in the world, shows the investigation done by the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, California-based non-profit scientific research group. Moreover, every year this number is growing gradually and more people are suffering (Bloomberg News, 2010). There are certain causes which deteriorate current situation. The most influential reasons are global warming, pollution by human-beings and overpopulation. It is known that India is one of the countries which face water scarcity so this essay will consider the possible ways of solutions of water shortage in India.
Gustafsson, J. (1992). An Analysis Of Groundwater Vulnerability And Water Policy Reform In India.Environmental Management and Health, 13, 175-193.