WATER TREATIES: PATHWAY TO PEACE OR WAR AMONG RIPARIANS?

Profile of the author : Antish Rathore is a third year student of B.A. LL. B. (Hons.) from Alliance University, Bengaluru. Her areas of interest include Public Administration and International Law.

Water wars, conflict over water distribution, water rivalry are not very unknown terms when it comes to today’s diplomatic relations among nations. “the wars of the next century will be about water”[1] a statement given by World bank Vice President Ismail Serageldin in 1995 sums up today’s water war scenario. Conflict over water can be traced back throughout ages since humans settled down for agriculture. The word ‘rivalry’ originated from the Latin word ‘rivalis’, or “one using the same river as another”. The countries that share the water from the same rivers are known as ‘riparians’ and often engage in disputes over water sharing and distribution. But no nations yet went for a war regarding water resources since ages. But they used water as negotiable instrument even the countries that are not on a very good diplomatic relations such as India and Pakistan over Indus river water, in which they have agreed over river water distribution. The treaties have been signed among nations about water sharing even though these nations were at war such as; Jordan water treaty signed among Israel and Jordan in 1953, though these two nations were officially at war in the years of 1948-1994. It can be said that, “Water treaties can be a pathway to peace rather; than war and these treaties signed among nations have provided proof for it”.

Nations have a lot of reasons to go to the war or to have strained relationships with each other but there are certain aspects which may have become the reason of the conflict but never even once have resulted in the war; example like; River Water Distribution among riparian nations. History is proof that not even once nations have gone to the war for water. The fact that interdependence does prevent wars in many cases whether it is dependence for investment, resources or trade. Water treaties have survived bitter diplomatic relations, conflicts and even wars. But river water becomes a reason for major conflict among nations as well. Water related conflicts arise because it is limited resource and a very vital aspect for any country in the way towards development, it is also necessary for every sector of any economy, human activity including power generation, industrial production and agriculture not only these, it is also source of different resources, and plays a major role in trade via water bodies between countries.

China has an upper hand in trade; as the trade through the Mekong river is under China’s dominance. Being an upstream nation, it is an advantage to China to control the trade, flow, and resources of the Mekong River and being a powerful country among its riparian countries China has been allegedly showing dominance over Mekong River as well by building dams over it. On the other hand, even if there is a presence of bitter diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan, the one thing these nations agree on is the Indus water treaty. A mutual requirement to share freshwater sometimes put these nations on ease with each other it helps in forge peaceful corporation among these nations.

The world’s 263 international river basins covers 45.3 percent of earth’s land surface and host about 40 percent of the world's population, and account for approximately 60 percent of global river flow [2]. And even these numbers are growing drastically because of internationalization of basins of the rivers as there is change in world’s politics; for example: disintegration of USSR.

Rivers water beds sometimes cross international borders, giving access to its resources to different countries which later develop into reasons of conflict. Water troubles are witnessed; especially in the Middle East. For example, The Euphrates River has its course from Turkey through Syria to Iraq before reaching the Persian Gulf. Iraq and Syria object to Turkey’s diversion. Iraq also objects to Syrian diversion of the river's course.

The Jordan River is also part of a major water conflict; it originates from Syria and Lebanon and runs its course through Israel to Jordan. In the 1950s, there was a plan to “make the desert bloom” for this purpose Israel underwent a project and began building a canal to take water from the Jordan River. The UN Security Council was approached by Jordan and its Arab neighbor to complain, but it failed to mediate this conflict and each state began with their own water plans. In 1964, Syria and Lebanon tried to build dams and divert the river's course even before reaching Israel, in retaliation Israeli air and artillery attacks on the dam’s construction resulted in Syria abandoning its diversion project.

The history is evident is that no nations have ever gone to war specifically over water resources for thousands of years. International water disputes have been resolved peacefully even among fierce enemies, even though conflicts erupt over other issues. In fact, instances of cooperation between riparian nations outnumbered conflicts over water sharing; by more than two to one between 1945 and 1999. The question raised is why? One of the reasons behind it can be that water is so important, nations cannot afford to fight over it. Instead, water resulted in greater interdependence. By ignoring violence nations have used a rather non violent approach by coming together to jointly manage their shared water resources, countries build trust and prevent conflict. Water can be a negotiating tool, too: it can offer a communication lifeline connecting countries even in the midst of crisis.

In simple words, water is a greater pathway to peace rather than conflict in the world's international river basins. International cooperation regarding water sharing has a successful and long history; some of the world's most vehement enemies have negotiated water agreements. The institutions that they have created are resilient, even when the relations are tense. The Mekong Committee, is an example for such an institution; established by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in 1957, exchanged data and information on the river basin throughout even at the time of the Vietnam War.(China is not member of this committee)

Another example is of Israel and Jordan when these nations held secret "picnic table" talks to manage the Jordan River since 1953, even though they were officially at war from 1948 until the 1994 Israel Jordan peace treaty. Even the Indus River Commission survived two major wars between the riparian nations; India and Pakistan. And all 10 Nile Basin riparian nations are currently involved in senior government–level negotiations to develop the basin cooperatively, despite the verbal battles accused to be conducted in the media. Riparians will endure such tough, protracted negotiations to ensure the access to the essential resource that is water and its economic and social benefits.

Southern African countries signed a number of river basin agreements while the region was entangled in a series of wars in the 1970s and 1980s, prominently the "people's war" in South Africa and the civil wars in Mozambique and Angola. These complex negotiations between stressed situations produced rare moments of peaceful cooperation among nations.

[1]

https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/198/40369.html

[2]

https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/198/40369.html

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