Why Indus River System Is Pakistan's Real 'Jugular Vein'

With India keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, Pakistan's agricultural sector, the backbone of its economy, faces uncertainty. SANJEEB MUKHERJEE analyses

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

Even as New Delhi and Islamabad reached an understanding amid conflict, one of the things that still remained in the spotlight was the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India had put the treaty, signed between the two countries in 1960, in abeyance after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

The treaty between India and Pakistan was brokered by the World Bank and was considered one of the most durable trans-boundary water agreements signed anywhere in the world. India, according to the agreement, has rights over the three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — in the Indus Basin. Pakistan has partial rights over the remaining three: Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. The three rivers account for almost 80 per cent of the shared basin's water.

India has the right to use the water from Indus, Jhelum and Chenab for hydropower generation and irrigation. It cannot build any structure that diverts or impacts the downstream flow of these three rivers, according to the agreement. For Pakistan, these three rivers are virtually lifelines which not only provide irrigation for much of its cotton and paddy but also large sections of its horticulture production.

Pakistan's agriculture

With a population of over 220 million, Pakistan, according to estimates, is the fifth most populous country in the world.

Agriculture, which contributes around 23 per cent to its gross domestic product (GDP) and employs over 40 per cent of its labour force, remains the backbone of Pakistan's economy.

Textiles, Pakistan's largest manufacturing and exporting sector, depends on agriculture for cotton, its core raw material. Over 75 per cent of the exports are linked to the farm sector.

More than 61 per cent of Pakistan's people reside in rural areas and are largely dependent on crop and livestock productions. Overall, two out of three employed women find work in the agri-food sector.