Water wars: as India weaponises rivers, Pakistan thirsts for security.
India’s suspension of a decades-old water treaty has left Pakistan’s farmers facing ruin. Rivers are becoming battlegrounds elsewhere, too.
Wars aren’t always fought with missiles and guns. Sometimes, the weapon is water.
India demonstrated just how potent that weapon can be this month when it reduced the flow of a tributary to the Indus River, a lifeline for Pakistan’s food security.
Weeks earlier, New Delhi had suspended a decades-old water-sharing agreement with its nuclear-armed neighbour in response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
On Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that his country would stop its water from flowing over international borders, saying: “India’s water will flow for India’s benefit, it will be conserved for India’s benefit, and it will be used for India’s progress.”
