Book Review: Water, Peace and War by Author Brahma Chellaney
By: Mukta Gawde
Tags: Diplomacy, International Relations, Book Review, Peace, Water Crisis

The Tragedy of Freshwater Commons

Water is a strategically vital but widely ignored resource. The necessity of water for agriculture, its essentiality for industry, and its role as an important factor in urbanization has led water to be identified as a resource that sustains economies. This in turn has translated into more countries desiring acquisition of lands rich in fresh water. It is a fragile and fatal causal relationship. Brahma Chellaney, in his book- Water, Peace and War - provides evidence of how water has been an underlying driver to major conflicts in the world and how the pursuit of enlightened self-interest by countries has given way to a mercantilist approach to water sharing and management. Moreover, the author identifies possible international water-related conflicts in the future and presents us with a roadmap to deal with such emergent crises.

The book is divided into five parts. In the first part, The Specter of Water Wars, the author discusses the environmental aspects of the water crisis and how its impact on the global economy long run. In the second part titled, The Power of Water, the author has explored the social and economic relations that a community has with its water resources. In this part, he introduces the idea of ‘Virtual Water Trade’. Virtual Water is explained as the hidden flow of water used in agricultural and industrial commodities when such commodities are traded from one country to another. It can be understood as a ‘water footprint’ of a good. Hence, India can be identified as a virtual water exporting country. Most economies, especially agricultural economies, have failed to internalize the cost of fresh-water in agricultural production and consequently become net virtual water exporting economies. The author introduces an ethical dilemma in this chapter when he accepts the importance of water in the global fight against hunger as well as its importance in production of energy (hydro-power and as coolant in nuclear reactors). The chapter raises relevant questions about the absence of a global consensus in prioritizing usage of fresh-water.

Photo by Jeff Ackley on Unsplash

In the third chapter, aptly titled, The Future of Water, the anthropogenic impact of climate change on water has been dealt with extensively. Two extremely important ideas are introduced in this section of the book: Water Refugees and Water Poverty Line. The succeeding section, Changing Water Cooperation, Competition, and Conflict, deals with hydro-politics and presents excellent observations on water diplomacy across the world, while at the same time cautiously warning about water-hegemonic nations. To take his argument forward Mr. Chellaney provides the example of the People’s Republic of China, which has actively refrained from undertaking negotiations with its neighbour countries concerning water sharing. In 2015, news of China operationalizing the Zam Hydropower Station built on the River Brahmaputra in Tibet, adds weight to Mr. Chellaney’s argument that China has unilaterally bestowed upon itself the upper riparian advantage and exploited the same with little concern for India. The final section is titled, Shaping Water for Peace and Profit, and as the title clearly enunciates, is a prescription for the avoidance of water based conflicts in the future.

Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

The book also deals, in part, with the Indus Waters Treaty, which was signed in 1960. It divides the Indus River system into two categories, west-flowing rivers and east-flowing rivers. While the west-flowing rivers are free to be used by Pakistan, the east-flowing rivers are free for use by India. The treaty has stood the test of time and continues to be successfully under implementation even today. The continued success of the treaty provides India leverage to carve out new terms of sharing and usage for other rivers in the neighbourhood. Thus, it can be said that hydro-politics in the neighbourhood has been shaped by this model treaty.

Mr. Chellaney, however, argues that IWT is inherently an unequal treaty that puts extraordinary restraints on India while making concessions to Pakistan. He goes on to add that while the treaty has stood the test of time, it has not contributed to the de-escalation of conflict between the two countries. In the same vein, it can be argued that the consensus on Indus water sharing has not caused escalation of the water sharing issue especially given the bouquet of issues (Sir Creek, Siachen, etc.) fueling tensions among the two countries. However, that does not take away from the fact that certain mischievous elements in Pakistan have, in the past, tried to use misinformation about Indus water usage to incite feelings of distrust towards India. Mr. Chellaney cautions against such benevolent treaties as they could foment hostility in the future when fresh water becomes a dear commodity.

In the face of upsurge of public opinion, shaped by nationalist forces in India, it needs to be said that the unilateral abrogation of the treaty would invite international wrath as India would stand to lose face and be labelled an abuser of upper riparian advantage. At the same time, abusing the upper riparian advantage could invite the same treatment from China in case of the River Brahmaputra, where India is a beneficiary of lower riparian rights. At the same time, there is fear that such one-sided repudiation of the treaty could generate feelings of distrust among the Pakistani people that are dependent on the rivers in question. That such feelings could be exploited to wage more proxy wars against India, cannot be denied.

Photo by Tim Peterson on Unsplash

With an eye on the future

The UN Watercourses Convention governs issues related to use and conservation of transboundary surface water and groundwater resources. The Ramsar Convention and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, to a certain extent, impact fresh-water conservation. The doctrine of equitable distribution of water, though present, is mostly embedded in bilateral agreements between countries. There are instances where once conflict-ridden lands now live in peace i.e. River Danube flowing through Western Europe; at the same time, there are also issues whereby rearrangement of borders (E.g. the demand for a Kurdish homeland) could, in the future, lead to water-based conflicts. The question of water-sharing among India states and the various inter-State river-water disputes are testimony to the complex nature of hydro-politics. Thus, the questions of political rights and economic rights of communities will have an added dimension of water-rechargeability, water-sharing and sustainability.

The next big challenge for diplomacy has been predicted to be global hydro-politics. With climate change, population pressures and ever-rising energy demands, similar conflicts can be anticipated even in the areas with abundant fresh water. Mr. Chellaney pushes for an international consensus on global water usage. He explains how most global conflicts have an element of denial or abuse of water-related rights (he gives an example of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and how it is not just about staking claim on strategic islands but also vital sea routes). His solutions include the formation of a blueprint of water usage and water sharing through global consensus, careful application of the doctrine of prior appropriation, identifying riparian rights, allocating advantages according to upper or lower riparian stage of rivers and finally the equal sharing of benefits and burdens. The last suggestion of equal sharing of benefits and burdens, is important as it diligently includes environmental responsibility and sustainability in the practice of water sharing.



However, the questions remains — how effective will such a blueprint of water rights be? Environmental treaties of such nature invariably suffer from the freeloader problem where some dissenting countries can get away with abusing their rights to water usage or even causing irreplaceable damage (pollution by releasing effluents) thereby rendering everybody a loser in the long run. Countries have previously played truant by failing to ratify or simply exiting from International treaties. Reaching a global consensus and ensuring participation would be a test of neo-liberal institutionalism.

Brahma Chellaney’s Water, Peace and War is a book that needs to be read, especially by students of diplomacy, civil servants, and any person interested in understanding the nuances of water diplomacy. It contains a treasure trove of interesting ideas, lucidly explained concepts and perceptive suggestions.