06-May-2025 Daily Answer Writing
Q1) Water is emerging as a geopolitical tool in the 21st century. Discuss India’s challenges and opportunities in using transboundary rivers for strategic leverage.
(GS Paper 3 – 10 Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
Introduction:
In the 21st century, water has become a critical geopolitical asset due to increasing scarcity, climate change, and rising demands. For India, which shares transboundary rivers with countries like Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and Nepal, water management is not only an environmental issue but also a strategic imperative.
Challenges:
- Treaty Constraints: The Indus Waters Treaty (1960) severely limits India’s use of western rivers, despite being the upper riparian. Similarly, water-sharing mechanisms with Bangladesh (Teesta) and China (Brahmaputra) remain unresolved or unfavorable.
- Neighbour Obstruction: Pakistan routinely opposes Indian hydro-projects in J&K through international arbitration. China is building dams on upstream Brahmaputra without transparency.
- Legal and Institutional Weaknesses: India lacks a unified national strategy for water diplomacy and faces delays due to protracted legal mechanisms under the World Bank and Permanent Court of Arbitration.
- Environmental Uncertainty: Glacier retreat and altered monsoon patterns affect flow predictability, impacting planning.
Opportunities:
- Geographical Advantage: Being an upper riparian for most South Asian rivers, India can influence water flow patterns strategically.
- Hydro-Diplomacy: India can use joint development projects and data sharing to build trust and negotiate better terms.
- Leverage in Foreign Policy: Water rights can be integrated into broader strategic negotiations, especially with Pakistan and China.
- Regional Leadership: India can lead a South Asian River Commission promoting basin-wide cooperation.
Conclusion:
India must transition from a defensive to a proactive hydro-strategic posture, balancing legal commitments with national interests to turn water from a liability into a geopolitical asset.
Read More – 05 May 2025 : Daily Answer Writing
