SSB Awareness Series: Indus Water Treaty

The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water sharing arrangement, signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960, by then Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's President General Ayub Khan. The World Bank (the erstwhile international bank for reconstruction and development) brokered the treaty and is also a party to it.

The Indus system of rivers comprises three western rivers which includes the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and three eastern rivers — the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi.

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What does the treaty grant India and Pakistan?

Under the treaty, India has exclusive rights on the eastern rivers and their tributaries while Pakistan has exclusive rights on the western rivers. Pakistan also received a one-time financial compensation for the loss of water from the eastern rivers and to build a new canal system.

The waters of the Indus basin begin in the Himalayan Mountains in the region under China. The river flows from the hills through the arid and dry states of Punjab and Sindh, converging in Pakistan, and empties out in the Arabian Sea, south of Karachi. After 10 years of the treaty signed India has secured full rights for the use of waters of the 3 rivers which allocated to them and the treaty results in partition of rivers than sharing of the rivers.

Both countries had agreed to exchange the data and co-operate in some matters related to the treaty so this leads to the forming on Permanent Indus Commission with a commissioner appointed by each country and this commission is going to take care about the disputes arising in between the both countries related to the treaty.
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About the author: Bhaskar Kotini belongs to Vishakhapatnam and is an engineer working in reputed software firm. He loves playing cricket and   is passionate to join Indian defense forces. By these articles he want to help other defense aspirants in their preparation.