Phase IFoundation
Background
Overview
The IWT is a critical bilateral agreement influencing India-Pakistan relations, water security, and regional stability. Its potential revision highlights challenges in international water law, climate change adaptation, and the role of international mediation in transboundary resource management.
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, is a water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank. It governs the sharing of the six rivers of the Indus basin, allocating the waters of the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan, with certain provisions for India's limited use of Western River waters for non-consumptive purposes like hydropower.