Indus River Management.

The trans-boundary Rivers like the Indus are extremely critical on multiple dimensions. The Indus Water Treaty (IWT), is a guiding document and needs review based on scientific, socio-political., socio-economic and socio-cultural parameters. The India Pakistan relations have gone through highs and lows in the past and today we are at an inflection point, where the contours of interaction need to be defined in a nuanced manner. The regional and global geopolitics is looking very different and thus the geostrategic response for India has to factor these new dynamics. The capacity & capability building has to be of the order that we look like a global power on multiple dimensions.

The tropical waters have unique characteristics and the conventional west driven technologies and knowhow, do not fit our requirement. The aspects of sedimentation, water resource management and others have their own challenges. The water quality in the modern day urbanization needs specific study. The trans-boundary Rivers also pose substantial strategic security concerns and merit constant monitoring. The IWT allocates certain amount of usage for us and thus it can be a reason for competition and conflict. The climate change risk today is real and could become a strategic security issue given the water scarcity possibility for these trans-boundary Rivers.

There is requirement to study the sediment transport pattern in the tropical waters to ensure effective sediment management. The sediment management in the tropical waters is not straight forward like in the temperate or polar regions. The digital transformation is critical for ensuring the effective freshwater management comprising of water resource management and water quality management. The climate change risk is another very critical aspect that merits detailed study. The ability of the IWT to manage these critical aspects and more need to be analysed and reviewed. The IWT was signed in Sep 1960, by a World Bank appointed team of experts, who focussed more and the engineering aspects, rather than the socio-political, socio-economic and socio-cultural uniqueness of the region.

This project will undertake a detailed study of the Indus River and the Basin from a comprehensive stand point. The IWT will be reviewed for its adequacy to deal with the challenges and opportunities of the new global order. The UDA framework will be the guiding structure to manage the site specific gaps in technology, knowhow and the present understanding of the way forward. The work will account for the complex geopolitical and geostrategic ground realities and build the structure accordingly. The inclusive approach will be the main driving agenda and multiple policy makers, stakeholders, practitioners and the local communities will be accounted for, while formulating the way ahead. The traditional knowledge and practices will be evaluated for their relevance in the modern times. The state-of-the-art technology and knowhow will be deployed for scaling up the relevant traditional practices. The innovations to customize the high-tech knowhow for the managing the local site specific challenges and opportunities will be the key agenda. The policy & technology interventions along with the acoustic capacity & capability building will be the final deliverables.