NEWS: India has issued a formal notice to Pakistan seeking negotiations to modify the Indus Waters Treaty (1960) in light of changing geopolitical, demographic, and climate realities.

ABOUT THE INDUS WATERS TREATY (IWT)

• Signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan.
• Brokered by the World Bank.
• Allocates the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) primarily to Pakistan, while allowing India limited uses on the western rivers.

ISSUES WITH THE TREATY

• Agricultural Constraints: India receives only about 20% of basin waters, limiting irrigation expansion.
• Groundwater Gap: No provisions for managing shared transboundary aquifers.
• Dispute Resolution Issues: Simultaneous appointment of a Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration creates legal ambiguity.
• Climate Change: No mechanism for drought sharing or changing glacial melt patterns.
• Environmental Concerns: Lacks provisions for maintaining ecological (environmental) river flows.

INDIA’S ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT

• Rising population and water demand since 1960 require treaty revision.
• Cross-border terrorism undermines the trust necessary for cooperation.
• Align the treaty with modern principles of equitable and reasonable utilisation.
• Introduce real-time digital hydrological data sharing for flood forecasting.
• Streamline the dispute resolution process to avoid conflicting decisions.

STANDING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS (2021)

• Renegotiate the treaty to address climate change and environmental challenges.
• Expedite Ujh and Shahpurkandi dam projects.
• Modernise the Rajasthan and Sirhind Feeder Canals.
• Maximise India's permissible irrigation and run-of-the-river hydropower projects on the western rivers.

SIGNIFICANCE

• Enhances India’s water security and optimal utilisation of its treaty rights.
• Addresses emerging challenges of climate change, population growth, and national security.
• Supports sustainable management of the Indus basin.