South Asia taps into water cooperation

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http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/SOU-02-160114.html



South Asia taps into water cooperation
By Ebba Mortensson and Silvia Pastorelli
Jan 16, '14


SPEAKING FREELY
South Asia taps into water cooperation
By Ebba Mortensson and Silvia Pastorelli

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

The countries of South Asia are facing increased challenges regarding the availability and quality of water supplies, exacerbated by a lack of cooperation between countries that fuels tensions instead of seeing their shared water resources as an opportunity for joint development and management. Recent developments are more auspicious in this regard with the formation of two sub-regional alliances that may herald greater regional cooperation, though Pakistan is conspicuous by its absence from these new relationships.

Water is of pressing concern for the countries of South Asia. Population growth, rapid urbanization, and the prospect of climate change are placing huge strains on both water accessibility and quality, with household water security classified as "hazardous" by the "Asian Water Development Outlook 2013", a report from the Asian Development Bank.

Exacerbating these challenges and the inadequacies of existing domestic water policies is South Asia's trans-boundary hydrological legacy, which fuels tensions between countries and, in turn, has thwarted the potential for joint water management when precisely such is required to judiciously exploit hydropower, better control risks such as flooding, and allay downstream concerns over water availability and contamination.

Epitomizing the state of affairs is that of the friction between India and Pakistan over the Indus, one of the region's main rivers: the former's upper riparian position is seen as a threat by Pakistan to the free flow of water, while India feels constrained by Pakistan, as a downstream user, in developing hydropower.