Water row threatens peace talks
Source: Agencies |
May 1, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A BITTER dispute over limited water resources is fueling India-Pakistan tensions at a time when the south Asian neighbors are trying to rebuild trust and resume peace talks.
It's a long-running feud that has worsened in recent months as a dry spell focuses attention on Pakistan's growing water shortage. Three days of talks in March ended with both sides trading barbs and failing to reach a resolution.
The issue was raised on Thursday when the leaders of the two countries met at a regional summit in Bhutan and agreed on the need to normalize relations, the Pakistani side said.
Further complicating the situation, Islamic extremists are trying to capitalize on allegations that India is stealing water from glacier-fed rivers that start in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Independent experts say there is no evidence to support those charges, but they warn that Pakistani concerns about India's plans to build at least 15 new dams need to be addressed to avoid conflict.
"If you want to give Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Pakistani militants an issue that really rallies people, give them water," said John Briscoe, who has worked on water issues in the two countries for 35 years and was the World Bank's senior water adviser.
Farmers in Pakistan's central breadbasket are angry.
"India has blocked our water because they are our enemy," said one 65-year-old farmer in the town of Gujrat.
His farm sits near the Chenab River, which residents say has been shrinking since India built a hydroelectric dam in Kashmir in 2008.
It's a long-running feud that has worsened in recent months as a dry spell focuses attention on Pakistan's growing water shortage. Three days of talks in March ended with both sides trading barbs and failing to reach a resolution.
The issue was raised on Thursday when the leaders of the two countries met at a regional summit in Bhutan and agreed on the need to normalize relations, the Pakistani side said.
Further complicating the situation, Islamic extremists are trying to capitalize on allegations that India is stealing water from glacier-fed rivers that start in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Independent experts say there is no evidence to support those charges, but they warn that Pakistani concerns about India's plans to build at least 15 new dams need to be addressed to avoid conflict.
"If you want to give Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Pakistani militants an issue that really rallies people, give them water," said John Briscoe, who has worked on water issues in the two countries for 35 years and was the World Bank's senior water adviser.
Farmers in Pakistan's central breadbasket are angry.
"India has blocked our water because they are our enemy," said one 65-year-old farmer in the town of Gujrat.
His farm sits near the Chenab River, which residents say has been shrinking since India built a hydroelectric dam in Kashmir in 2008.
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