Revising the Indus Water Treaty

The article discusses the ongoing debate surrounding the revision of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), 1960, highlighting the need to update it due to changing hydrological realities caused by climate change and to incorporate principles of Equitable and Reasonable Utilisation (ERU). It argues that the IWT, currently a partition-based allocation, should evolve into a shared management approach for mutual benefits, drawing parallels from other international water treaties like the Nile, Mekong, US-Canada, and US-Mexico agreements. The author emphasizes that revising the IWT would also help India and Pakistan meet their international obligations under conventions like Ramsar and CBD, related to water conservation and biodiversity. Both countries have implicitly recognized the need for climate alignment in their respective water policies, despite the political complexities involved.