United Nations warns against ‘water-war’

United Nations: The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan has survived disputes between the two countries and provided a framework for resolving disagreements over water use, a top UN official has said.

UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed, addressing the High-Level Panel on Water Diplomacy in Stockholm on Monday, said that water can represent a source of cooperation, shared growth and mutual support.

She, however, warned that getting caught up in “water-war” rhetoric will be a mistake for the international community.

“When we examine history, we see that cooperation over water can prevail over conflict over water. Through water diplomacy, sometimes known as ‘hydrodiplomacy’, neighbouring states can be reminded of the benefits of cooperating around water resources,” she said, adding that water, if fairly shared, can become a confidence-building measure.

Such confidence-building measures are urgently needed in many of the current conflict areas, Mohammed said. “The 1960 Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan has survived disputes between the two countries, providing a framework for resolving disagreements over water use. “In the Middle East, water use has been an area where cooperation has been possible between some countries. In Central Asia, the United Nations is collaborating closely with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea,” she said.

Mohammed said that by 2050, the world population is projected to rise to 9 billion, who will be sharing a finite resource — water.  “One third of the world’s population already lives in countries with water stress,” she said.

She stressed that water security encapsulates complex challenges and highlights water’s centrality for achieving a larger sense of security and human well-being.