Trans-Boundary Water Politics and Conflicts in South Asia : towards 'Water for Peace

'Water' is crucial to life and survival, and concerns of sharing and managing this finite element in South Asia has been generating a lot of heat. At one level, are issues that are directly linked to the fact that there is a 'water crisis' looming over the region. It is a reality that usage of water resources has reached or far exceeded the limits of sustainability in most of the countries in South Asia. Rapid growth of population, urbanisation and mega cities, industries, mining, intensive irrigation and agriculture has combined with inefficient use of water, to insure that water is fast becoming a scarce resource—both in terms of quantity and quality. This has fuelled conflicts between different uses and users of water, between states within countries, and across countries. With the possibility of devastating impact of climate change, and the severe shortage of freshwater as projected by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, the situation is likely to take a catastrophic turn. In India alone, gross per capita water availability is stated to decline from around 1,820 cubic meters a year to as low as around 1,140 cubic meters a year in 2050 (IPCC, 4th Assessment Report).

At another level, water tensions can be seen embedded in South Asia's turbulent history. The region has witnessed wars, and is an area where protracted violent conflicts and border disputes abound. It is argued that many of these conflicts between South Asian countries are also taking environmental forms. Simultaneously, various environmental issues are getting regionalised and politicised. There is thus an 'environmentalisation' of certain conflicts and politicisation of the environment in this region. Against this broad backdrop, the study attempts to map out the links that underlie water (environment), conflict and peace in South Asia.