9/19: India and Pakistan sign the Indus Waters Treaty

On September 9, 1960, India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty to distribute the water in the Indus River and its tributaries. The treaty gave India control over the waters in the three “eastern rivers” (the Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej) while giving Pakistan control over the three “western rivers” (the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum). 

Currently, the Indus system sustains Indian and Pakistani communities, and its waters are essential for over 270 million people in China, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Covering an area of about 386,000 square miles, the Indus River Basin is one of the largest basins in the world. The river system begins in the Tibet plateau and flows northwest before bending south to flow southwest through Pakistan and into the Arabian Sea. 

The Indus water conflict first originated after the Partition of India in 1948, as the two newly formed states differed in their proposed sharing and managing of the river network. Moreover, the geography of the division was such that the source rivers of the Indus basin were in India. Hence, Pakistan felt threatened by the notion that India had control over the streams that delivered water into the Pakistani portion of the basin. However, Pakistan and India were unable to make a compromise and negotiations reached a stalemate. While Pakistan emphasized its historical right to the waters of all Indus tributaries, India argued that the previous distributions of water are no longer relevant in the new boundaries.

In 1954, after roughly two years of negotiation, the World Bank offered its proposition to allocate the waters, offering India three eastern tributaries and Pakistan three western tributaries and authorizing construction to divert waters from the western rivers to replace Pakistan’s previous eastern river supply. Though India and Pakistan were initially hesitant, both sides ultimately agreed to this compromise to avoid violent conflict. The last hurdle was the question of funding for the creation of canals and storage facilities responsible for transferring western river water to Pakistan. On September 19, 1960, The World Bank decided on an external financing plan called the Indus Basin Development Fund Agreement, where Australia, Canada, West Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development agreed to provide Pakistan funds and loans to support the construction. This solution cleared the remaining hindrances, and the Indus Water Treaty was subsequently signed by both countries on that day. 

Since the ratification, there have been no water wars between Pakistan and India despite some minor military conflicts. Due to its resilience and longevity, the Indus Water Treaty is recognized as one of the most successful international treaties today.