Date:	1960/09/19
Agreement Type:

Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 is a transnational water agreement between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, brokered by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (now, World Bank).^[1] It was signed on September 19, 1960 by the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru and the President of Pakistan, Mohammad Ayub Kahn.

Provisions

The treaty gives exclusive use of the three Eastern rivers of the Indus (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers) to India at the points before which the rivers enter Pakistan. Small portions of the rivers cross into Pakistan, then return to India, before their final entrance into Pakistan. The Treaty allocates the three Western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) to Pakistan. There are exceptions

The treaty additionally had information sharing requirements related to flows and flood data, and it stipulates the methods for settlement of water related disputes between India and Pakistan.

The treaty establishes the Permanent Indus Commission, comprised of a commissioner from each riparian to facilitate information exchange.

Analysis

The Indus Water Treaty has been held up as one of the most successful negotiated agreements over water, inspite of the fact that the ‘water wars rationale’ would suggest that India and Pakistan, the riparians who share the Indus waters, would be at high risk for war given the strategic nature of the Indus: a critical water resource in an area with water scarcity depended upon by parties engaged in a wider conflict. ^[2]

^ Product of the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University. Additional information about the TFDD can be found at:http://ocid.nacse.org/tfdd/tfdddocs/242ENG.pdf
^ Alam, Undala Z. “Questioning the water wars rationale: a case study of the Indus Waters Treaty” The Geographical Journal, vol 168, no.4 December 2002 p 341-353. Accessed via JSTOR Jan 29 2013

External Links

Full text of Indus Waters Treaty 1960 (World Bank) — World Bank website Full Text of the Indus Waters Treaty. Permanent URL isted above from original access at http://wwwr.worldbank.org/indus, 1/31/2013

Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database (TFDD) (2012). Oregon State University. — This website is used to aid in the assessment of the process of water conflict prevention and resolution. The Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database is a project of the Oregon State University Department of Geosciences, in collaboration with the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering. There are several entries that relate to the Indus Basin and Indus Water Treaty

The Indus Waters Treaty - a history (by the Stimson Center) — The Stimson Center is a Washington D.C. based non-profit, nonpartisan institution that produces analyses on topics relating to international peace and security. This short history of the Indus Waters Treaty is written as a general overview for a wide audience.