What are the ojectives advantages of the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan?

Answer 1

The waters of the Indus Basin rivers had been used for irrigation purposes even

before the development of the present canal system by British engineers in the

early 19th century. There were numerous inundation canals in the Indus Valley,

which diverted supplies directly from the rivers during the high flow periods,

without any diversion works across the riverbed. The local community, tribes,

or states managed these inundation canals.

From the middle of the 19th century onwards, irrigation was gradually

extended through the introduction of improved methods and the construction

of diversion works across the rivers. A number of agreements for the sharing of

river waters took place. The most significant of these have been the Indus

Basin Treaty (1960) between India and Pakistan and the Water Apportionment

Accord (1991) between the four provinces of Pakistan.

In August 1947, when South Asia was divided into two independent countries,

there existed in the area, one of the most highly developed irrigation systems

in the world. The system catered to approximately 37 million acres of land,

supplying it with the waters of the Indus rivers. All available water supplies

were allocated to various princely States and provinces, in conformity with the

principle of equitable apportionment of waters.

The Indus System of Rivers in the Indus Basin comprises of the Indus and its

five main tributaries i.e. Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. They all

combine into one river near Mithan Kot in Pakistan and flow into the Arabian

Sea, south of Karachi. The total area of the Indus Basin is roughly 365,000

miles2

. Most of it lies in Pakistan and the remaining is part of occupied Jammu

and Kashmir, India, China and Afghanistan.

At the time of Independence, 31 out 37 million acres in Pakistan were

irrigated. The boundary line between the two countries being partitioned was

drawn without any regard to the existing irrigation works. It was, however,

affirmed by the Boundary Commission. Representatives of the affected zones

expressly agreed before the Arbitral Tribunal that the authorized zones in the

common water supply would continue to be respected.

2.0 THE RATIONALE FOR THE INDUS WATER TREATY

The water dispute between Pakistan and India began when on April 0