The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960, once symbolised pragmatic cooperation between India and Pakistan.
But today, it is no longer fit for purpose.
Climate change, deteriorating bilateral relations, and ecological collapse—particularly in Pakistan—have exposed the treaty’s fatal limitations.
While India seeks a renegotiation, it has simultaneously suspended treaty cooperation, expanded upstream infra-structure, and, most damagingly, released untreated toxic effluents into Pakistan.
This transboundary pollution includes four major Indian drains carrying heavy metals, untreated sewage, and industrial waste into Pakistan—practices that violate the spirit of cooperation and border on ecocide.
Ravi and Sutlej allocated to India under the treaty, now function as toxic delivery channels, contaminating Pakistan’s water supply, soil, and food chain.
This ecological assault, enabled by outdated legal cover, has dire implications for both human and environmental health in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s internal mismanagement further compounds the crisis.
Over 90% of its freshwater is used for agriculture via canals, with over 60% lost in transit.
The Indus Delta now receives less than 8 MAF of fresh-water annually, down from 146 MAF, triggering biodiversity loss, saltwater intrusion, and desertification.
Meanwhile, groundwater arsenic contamination is becoming widespread, especially in South Punjab.
Along the Ravi floodplain, nearly half of the wells exceed the WHO arsenic safety limit, and the Sutlej basin shows similar distress, with average arsenic levels of 11–14 µg/L in Vehari, Burewala, and Mailsi.
This contamination, linked to both industrial runoff and outdated irrigation practices, has become a slow-moving health and agricultural emergency.
Ecological collapse is triggering economic and social instability.
Farmers face failing crops, shrinking incomes, and growing food insecurity.
Ironically, the water-intensive crops grown with this polluted water—rice, wheat, cotton, and sugarcane—are often rejected by export markets and recycled into local consumption, compromising public health further.
India’s duplicity—calling for modernization while executing ecologically harmful actions—underscores the urgency for Pakistan to reconsider its obligations under the IWT.
The treaty, once a symbol of peace, is now a straitjacket that prevents necessary adaptation.
Pakistan must lead efforts to overhaul the treaty based on equitable basin management, ecological integrity, and climate resilience.
Joint monitoring, flood early warning systems, and shared investment in water tech could transform water from a source of conflict into a vehicle for cooperation.
Imagine the possibilities if India and Pakistan collaborated instead of clashing.
Together, they could roll out drought-resilient agriculture, invest in desalination and clean water tech, and set up early warning systems for floods and glacial melt.
They could build up joint monitoring stations, exchange real-time hydrological data, and pool resources to adapt to shifting monsoons and melting Himalayan glaciers.
Such cooperation could also pave the way for ecological resto-ration projects—reviving wetlands, stabilizing riverbanks, and protecting biodiversity corridors that stretch across borders.
The Indus system sustains millions.
Clinging to a broken model is no longer an option.
A new framework is urgently needed—one that protects people, restores ecosystems, and secures a livable future….
—The writer is a political analyst, based in Islamabad. (riaz.missen@gmail.com)
