Both countries have threatened to take action if violence there escalates, and one threat

to a shared natural resource could have detrimental effects.

For more than 60 years, India and Pakistan have been fighting over Kashmir, a contested

region that is claimed by both countries.

Despite ongoing efforts to create peace, 2016 saw violent protests and multiple attacks

over the region, one of which killed at least 19 Indian soldiers.

In retaliation, India’s Prime Minister has explored the possibility of manipulating Kashmir’s

water flow to benefit India over Pakistan, conceivably prompting a war over this increasingly

scarce resource.

So how likely is this?

Are India and Pakistan on the brink of an all-out water war?

Well, India and Pakistan’s conflict over water stems back to their origins as independent

states.

In 1947, India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain, and the two new countries were

left to figure out how to divide up the region’s natural resources.

One of these was the Indus Basin (In-Dus Basin), which includes rivers that flow from the Himalayas

to the Arabian Sea, carrying water through both India and Pakistan.

After partition ended and borders were drawn, the sources of most of these rivers ended

up in India, leading Pakistan to feel as though its livelihood was in the hands of its enemy.

In 1960, after years of negotiations and stalemates, the two countries signed the Indus Waters

Treaty.

India received control of the basin’s three eastern rivers, and Pakistan got control of

the three western rivers.

But Pakistan’s rivers flow through India first.

So, the treaty allowed India to use Pakistan’s rivers for things like hydroelectric power

and irrigation, as long as they didn’t obstruct a significant amount of water flow to Pakistan.

Over the next 56 years, India and Pakistan fought three wars and countless conflicts,

but the treaty was honored by both sides, making it, what many have called, one of greatest

feats of water diplomacy in history.

That is, until now.

In response to rising tensions over Kashmir and a deadly attack on its military base,

India has threatened to test the limits of the Indus Waters Treaty.

In September 2016, India’s Prime Minister said that [quote] “blood and water cannot

flow simultaneously”, and that India will exploit as much of Pakistan’s water as it

can.

More specifically, India reportedly has plans to expedite construction on a number of dams

in Pakistan-controlled rivers.

Although this is technically within the boundaries of the treaty, it would decrease Pakistan’s

share of water to levels not seen in decades, which could be detrimental as global warming

makes water increasingly scarce.

But India’s projects are still in their early stages, so it would take years for Pakistan

to feel the effects of its neighbor’s retaliation.

Nevertheless expediting these initiatives sends a clear message, that whether or not

weapons are drawn, India and Pakistan are ostensibly at war.

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The Kashmir conflict is complex and confusing, so we broke it down to make it easier to understand.

You can learn more about the origins of the dispute by watching the video on the left.

And if you want a brief explanation of why tensions are rising, check out our video on

the right.

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everyday.