Indian Council of World Affairs

The Indian Council of World Affairs hosted a one-day Seminar on the theme ‘River Water Sharing and Agreements in South Asia: Case Study of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal’ on 12 August 2025 at Sapru House. The Conference saw the participation of former diplomats, senior academics and practitioners. 

The discussions underlined India’s civilizational connection with its rivers, the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra, and the challenges of managing shared river systems in the region. It was noted that while the geography and the modern polity of the region necessitate cooperative frameworks, these have not always moved smoothly given the politicization and weaponization of transboundary waters in recent decades. It was pointed out that agreements like the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which were concluded by India as acts of goodwill towards neighbours, have often been met with persistent demands for amendments rather than reciprocity. 

The Session on Pakistan agreed that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was historically imbalanced—allocating Pakistan 80% of the Indus system’s waters despite 67% of these originating in India. It noted Pakistan’s persistent obstruction of India’s legitimate projects, its misuse of treaty provisions, and its exploitation of international forums, all the while sponsoring terrorism against India. The “abeyance” of the IWT in April 2025 was viewed as a necessary strategic step, justified under international law on the basis of “fundamental and unforeseen changes” such as climate stress, demographic shifts, technological advances, and persistent cross-border terrorism. Looking ahead, discussions stressed that India must prioritise optimising its entitlements by enhancing developmental activity including hydropower and irrigation projects on the western rivers, enhancing storage infrastructure, expanding irrigation networks in Jammu & Kashmir, and constructing new canals. The consensus was that India’s river management strategy should be guided by its long-term development goals—energy transition, food security, and regional resilience—with the IWT’s suspension serving both as a strategic deterrent and a developmental opportunity. 

With regard to Nepal, experts highlighted the complex issues surrounding flood control, irrigation, and hydropower development. The session underscored the importance of historical treaties and the challenges posed by differing political and administrative perspectives. Experts emphasised the need for collaborative efforts at the water basin level to address these challenges and seize opportunities for sustainable cooperation - including community based cooperation at the local level. They also pointed out the sacredness and the spiritual significance of the shared India-Nepal river waters which bind communities together across borders in mutual interest in their sustainable conservation and utilization. 

With regard to Bangladesh, the discussion emphasized the pressing need for India to shift its discourse on water sharing vis-a-vis Bangladesh by adopting a scientific data driven approach while countering politically charged Bangladeshi narrative on river water sharing. The speakers stressed on looking at river water sharing  through the lens of human security to address the livelihood and well-being requirements of the dense population of the region. The entitlements of the people living along the rivers were also mentioned. The need for river water sharing with Bangladesh to be rooted in a balanced, reciprocal, and sustainable cooperation framework was emphasized. 

The participants in the Seminar agreed that water is a key resource for India to realize its Viksit Bharat @ 2047 vision alongwith the domestic river water management infrastructures including on the Indian side of the borders with Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh that are required for addressing sustainable livelihoods, changing demographics and climate change risks and that this should form the basis for India’s approach to cooperation, or non-cooperation, with these countries in the river water sharing and development sector.

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