Indus Water Treaty: The what and why of a decades-old conflict

At the time of Independence, the boundary line between Pakistan and India was drawn right across the Indus Basin, leaving Pakistan as the lower riparian and India as the upper riparian state. Two important irrigation works — one at Madhopur on the Ravi river and the other at Ferozepur on the Sutlej — on which the irrigation canal supplies in Punjab (Pakistan) had been completely dependent, fell inside the Indian territory. A dispute thus arose between the two countries regarding the utilisation of irrigation water from the existing facilities. Negotiations under the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) culminated in the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960. The treaty was signed in Karachi by Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, then President of Pakistan; Jawaharlal Nehru, then Indian Prime Minister; and W A B Illif of the World Bank, on September 19, 1960, with its effective date being April 1.

The treaty contains a preamble, 12 articles and eight detailed annexures. It provides India an absolute control of all the waters of eastern rivers of the Indus – Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. Pakistan was to receive for unrestricted use waters of the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab –which India is under obligation to let flow beyond permitted uses.