Development advocate Pakistan
The Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan has been an outstanding example of conflict resolution but scarcity of water in the basin states since the early 1990s has brought the agreement under strain and its "survival appears weak", according to this UN report.
The UNDP says that Pakistan’s negligence in conducting a sound analysis of trans-boundary water issues and delays in presenting the cases of dispute with India to the Indus Water Commission or the World Bank on the issues related to the Indus Waters Treaty have caused the issues to linger on and remain unaddressed. Focusing on water security situation in Pakistan which is the most critical development challenge for the country, a UNDP report points out that awareness about trans-boundary water issues is a recent phenomenon and systematic studies are needed in this regard. The report titled “Development Advocate Pakistan” was released by the UN global development network. According to it, an increase in water stress in the basin states since the early 90s has brought the treaty under strain. In fact, its survival appears weak, although there is no exit clause. The treaty fails to address two issues: the division of shortages in dry years between India and Pakistan, when flows are almost half as compared to wet years, and the cumulative impact of storages on the flows of the River Chenab into Pakistan.
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