River Disputes In India

Inter-State River Water Disputes In India Have Become An Inflammatory Issue In The Last Few Years. They Have Become Tools For Political One-Upmanship And Have Engendered Numerous Senseless Acts Of Violence. This Book Offers A Balanced Survey Of The History Of Inter-State River Water Disputes In India. It Examines The Legal Approaches Through Which River Water Disputes Have Been Tackled And Suggests Concrete Steps To Deal With Such Disputes In Future. A Notable Feature Of The Book Is An Up-To-Date Analysis Of The Cauvery Waters Dispute.

This book examines India’s transboundary river water disputes with its South Asian riparian neighbours — Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. It explores the history of disputes and cooperation over the transboundary river water in this region as well as discusses current disputes and future concerns. It analyses how and why existing transboundary river water sharing treaties between India and its South Asian riparian neighbours are confronted with challenges. The book indicates that India’s transboundary river water disputes with its South Asian riparian neighbours are likely to escalate in coming years due to the widening of the demand¬–supply gap in the respective countries. It further shows the impact of bilateral relations on the resolution of transboundary river water disputes, even as cordial relationships do not always guarantee the absence of river water disputes between riparian states. The book looks at some key questions: How political are India’s transboundary rivers water disputes in South Asia? Why do the roots of India’s river water disputes with Bangladesh and Pakistan lie in the partition of the British India in 1947? Why are there reservations against India’s hydroelectricity projects or allegations of water theft? Is it possible to resolve transboundary river water disputes among these South Asian countries? This book will greatly interest scholars and researchers working in the areas of river management, environmental politics, transnationalism, water resources, politics and international relations, security studies, peace and conflict studies, geopolitics, development studies, governance and public administration, and South Asian studies in addition to policymakers and journalists.

This volume provides a broad perspective of the water scenario in India by examining the various developments in the sector and the emerging alternative paradigms. It points out the inadequacies of the existing legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms to manage water efficiently.

Water conflicts in India have now percolated to every level. They are aggravated by the relative paucity of frameworks, policies and mechanisms to govern the use of water resources. Based on the premise that understanding and documenting different types of water conflict cases in all their complexity would contribute to informed public debate and facilitate their resolution, Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India, a collaborative initiative of the WWF project ‘Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment’, documented a number of such case studies. One of its kind in India, this book brings together an impressive sixty-three case studies – summarized status of the conflicts, the issues involved and their current position – and gives us a glimpse into ‘the million revolts’ that are brewing around water. While recognizing that each conflict is a microcosm of wider conflicts, the editors have classified these cases into eight broad themes that try to capture the dominant aspect of the conflict. These are: contending water uses; dams and displacement; equity-access-allocations; micro-level conflicts; water quality; trans-boundary conflicts; privatization; sand excavation and mining. With a mix of academics and activists as contributors, the book makes an important contribution to a new discourse on water in general, and water conflicts and conflict resolution in particular.

This book examines the Union-State and inter-State relations concerning water issues in India. It analyses the federal structure in India and looks at its effectiveness in addressing the inter-state river water disputes in the country through three cases: the Cauvery, Krishna and Mahadayi Rivers water dispute. It probes into the physical, political, legal and constitutional measures taken by the Union government and the states to deal with the inter-State and Union-State tussles over inter-State river waters. The author studies the debate over centralisation and decentralisation of water resources, as well as the inter-state river water disputes that have aroused feelings of sub-nationalism in many regions of India. Finally, this book also examines socio-political tensions over multipurpose water projects and other supply-side infrastructures, and their efficacy in addressing India’s increasing water problems. This book will interest researchers and students of Environmental Politics, Political Science, Public Policy, Environmental Geography, Indian Politics, South Asian Studies, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, River Management, and Resource politics.