About the Talk
India has an impressive history of water dispute resolution resulting in some agreements and treaties, such as Indus Waters Treaty 1960, Mahakali Treaty and Ganges Treaty.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, divides the waters of Indus Basin between India and Pakistan. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) rated the Indus Waters Treaty as one of the best examples of water conflict resolution. The Treaty is hailed for in-built resilience in surviving two wars and many war-like situations.
The talk will present India’s perspective to argue that India’s accommodative spirit has primarily contributed to the Treaty’s survival historically. In spite of this, it is unfortunate that the public discourse in Pakistan blames India for water scarcity in Pakistan. The water scarcity in Pakistan is largely its internal makings. The frequent disputes between the basin states in Pakistan suggests the increased demands for water. Pakistan has also failed to augment the large share of its allocated waters in the Indus, and lets it discharge into the sea. The talk will also discuss the historical background and other nuances of the Treaty while presenting the Indus Commissioners’ experiences in implementing of the Treaty.
About the speaker
Pradeep Kumar Saxena, is the Indian Commissioner for Indus Waters at the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India since 2016. He has been associated with Indus Treaty matters in various capacities for the past 15 years and dealt with a number of differences and disputes with Pakistan. He was actively associated with presentation of India’s case and oral hearings in dispute of Kishanganga hydroelectric project in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague.
Mr Saxena is a graduate in Civil Engineering and a Central Water Engineering Services officer of 1986 batch. He has over 30 years of experience in planning and design of water resources projects mostly in hydropower sector with specialization in design of underground structures. He was associated with the design of several hydroelectric projects in India, Nepal and Afghanistan.