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MAINS 2016
GS1
12.5 marks

Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.

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9 min
200 words
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What the examiner wants

Describe the Indus Waters Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications as India-Pakistan ties change.

Present an account + ExamineGo into the details, test each point against evidence, and conclude on what it shows.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Account: 1960, World Bank brokered; eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India, western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan with limited Indian use; Permanent Indus Commission; dispute mechanism≈35 words
  2. 2Ecological: flows, glacier melt and climate change not covered; run-of-river projects' impacts≈35 words
  3. 3Economic: Pakistan's agriculture dependence; India's hydropower in J&K (Kishanganga, Ratle), unused share of eastern rivers≈35 words
  4. 4Political: Uri 2016 'blood and water' debate; India's 2023 notice for modification; treaty held in abeyance in 2025≈35 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Treaty provisionsDisputes so farEcological, economic, political implicationsOptions for IndiaConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Mixing up eastern and western rivers
  • Calling for scrapping without legal or strategic analysis

Draw this

  • Map of the six Indus-system rivers coloured by allocation

Value addition

  • CaseCourt of Arbitration (2013) allowed India to divert Kishanganga water for power but required a minimum environmental flow.Kishenganga Award, 2013
  • UpdateIndia notified Pakistan for modification of the treaty in January 2023 and held it in abeyance after the Pahalgam attack in April 2025.MEA, 2023 and 2025