India is stealing water of life, says Pakistan
Thousands of Punjab farmers suffer as river Chenab runs dry
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The Baglihar hydroelectric dam on the river Chenab, which flows from Indian-controlled Kashmir into Pakistan
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Crucial, coveted and increasingly scarce, water has become the latest issue to stoke tensions between India and Pakistan, with farmers in Pakistan's breadbasket accusing Delhi of reducing one of the subcontinent's most important rivers to little more than a trickle.
A group of more than 20 different UN bodies warned earlier this month that the world may be perilously close to its first water war. "Water is linked to the crises of climate change, energy and food supplies and prices, and troubled financial markets," said the report. "Unless their links with water are addressed and water crises around the world are resolved, these other crises may intensify and local water crises may worsen, converging into a global water crisis and leading to political insecurity and conflict at various levels."
The crisis in the agricultural heartland of Pakistan relates to the Chenab, one of a series of waterways that bisect the Punjab, which means 'five rivers'. The Chenab is fed with glacial meltwaters from the Himalayas and for centuries has provided crucial irrigation for the region. But last summer farmers began to notice the levels of both the river and groundwater begin to fall.
Pakistan blames India, saying it is withholding millions of cubic feet of water upstream on the Chenab in Indian-administered Kashmir and storing it in the massive Baglihar dam in order to produce hydro-electricity. Its Indian neighbour, Pakistan declares, is in breach of a 1960 treaty designed to administer water use in the region. After initial talks to try and resolve the issue, the matter has been put on hold since the Mumbai attacks last November in which 165 people were killed, fuelling tensions between the two quarrelsome neighbours.
Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari warned: "The water crisis in Pakistan is directly linked to relations with India. Resolution could prevent an environmental catastrophe in South Asia, but failure to do so could fuel the fires of discontent that lead to extremism and terrorism."
The farmers who make their livelihoods along the banks of the Chenab are quick to blame India for their misery. When Mohammed Babar and other villagers close to the town of Wazirabad sunk a well several years ago, they discovered water just 50ft beneath the surface; now the water table lies at around 100ft down. "To irrigate our crops it used to cost about 200 rupees (£2.71) worth of diesel," said Mr Babar, standing amid fields lush with rice and winter wheat. "Now it costs 250 or 300."
From where Mr Babar and his neighbours live, it is just a few hundred yards to the Chenab. Once a strong-flowing river, it is now a slow-flowing trickle. Locals say the river once came up close to the top of the road bridge but now it dribbles past, metres below.
Abdul Hamid and his family make their living cutting reeds for thatching on the east bank of the river. They have watched the level of the water fall, and with it, the supply reeds from which they make their living.
"There has been a big difference. It doesn't even look like a river anymore, it looks like a puddle," said 40-year-old Mr Hamid, who has eight children. "When there is no water, there are no reeds and then no money. My whole family works doing this. We used to earn 500 rupees a day. But now it's down to 300 because there are less reeds." Asked why the Chenab had fallen, Mr Hamid had a ready answer: "It has been cut off by India."
The Chenab is one of five main rivers that pass through the Punjab, all ultimately joining the Indus, which reaches the sea south of Karachi. The 1960 Indus Water Treaty allocated the river waters between Pakistan and India, which is also allowed to make some use of them for power generation. Pakistan complained in 2005 to the World Bankabout the operation of the Baglihar dam. An independent expert upheld some objections, but dismissed others.
Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for President Zardari, said Pakistan was "paying a high price", but India has denied breaching any conditions of the 1960 treaty. Delhi said it had invited Pakistan's water commissioner to visit the dam to see that the Chenab's flow was naturally low.
India's Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment, but an official said: "The entire peace process and discussions we have been having for the past three or four years have been put on pause. It is not the right climate for these talks when we know that there are threats against our safety and security emanating from Pakistan."
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Comments
This relates perfectly back to the problem of global energy supply, a subject that the western world has made into a complete and utter mess.
Hydro-electricity is fine in itself, as it doesn't produce CO2 emissions.
But WHY oh WHY don't we force the wordl to start using solar power and geothermal energy on a massive scale, thereby enabling developing countries to be more careful with developing their hydropower potential. And thereby avoiding all kinds of ugly problems.
This won't be the last dispute over water. It might very well become the first that causes an armed conflict with global consequences.
Thank you Mr. Bush (cannot yet blame Obama), thank you Mr. Sarkozy, thank you Mrs. Merkel, thank you Berlusconi, thank you Brown. You have effectively made a hell of a mess of this world!
Unfortunately, whilst operating a hydro-electrity generation system produces little carbon dioxide, the manufature of cement produces massive quantities of CO2, and hydro-dams are usually massive constructions. There there is all the CO2 produced by the excavation machinery and the contruction machinery, sometimes taking place over a period of many years, such are the humungous quantites of material moved. Finally there is the issue of organic matter in the sedimant in the upstream lake decaying and generating methane -a gas around 20 times as potent as CO2 when it comes to global warming.
We can certainly blame the bunch of criminals and clowns currently in office, and must include those who have left offfice recently for the awful mess we are in, but we really need to go back to the time of Carter to encounter a politician who had anything sensible to say on energy. The terrible reality is, there has been a succession of clowns and criminals in high office in most western nations since the 1970s, which accounts for the dreadful energy and envronmental predicament we are now in.
But we need to chose the lesser evil, something which we already could have done -as you stated- in the 1970's. I was a kid then, but well aware of the problems facing us. There were enough warning signs already then.
Regarding methane. We got some shocking news from both norwegian scientists at Svalbard and through an article in the New Scientist. We can now be pretty sure the ods for this getting real bad are getting close to the 99.9% figure...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2
Thanks for the link. It is very much in lime whith what I have written in several books and articles.
The Independent forum (like any other forum) has its share of grossly uninformed or misinformed people with set-in-concrete opinions, based on no vision beyond business as usual, who abuse and shout down those who do know what they are talking about.
Being somewhat older than you I feel rather sorry for you, having to inherit a world that has been so screwed up by the selfish and greedy. I have been fighting the insanity for a long time, but the world is one dominated by corruption and lies.
The 'Limits to Growth' warnings that were given in the early 1970s but were ignored by the business and political establishment have proven to be perfectly valid.
The good news is the insanity that characterises the present system cannot continue much longer, now that the the military-indusrial complex is hitting the wall on cheap and abundant resources. It looks increasingly certain that Peak Oil was 2005 to 2008, so the Great Unravelling is about to commence.
Yes, I agree it seems likely the world is going to hit the wall rather soon, unless someone comes up with a miracle cure.
Indeed, ignorance is the plague of these times. Too many people who just don't want to listen to reason, to reasonable arguments, to undeniable facts.
I have tried to be a positive kind of person. Arguing why we should make the conversion to renewables, regardless of the CO2. There are compelling reasons apart from not wanting to contribute to further AGW.
Doesn't matter where one tries to make a case for the conversion, whether in Norway, Netherlands or UK, you get the same type of response. A shitload of deniers throws itself upon you as if one is a feastly smelling corpse, an easy meal for the vultures that couldn't care less what happens with this planet.
I am originally Dutch, therefore I also participated on Dutch forums, but living in Norway nowadays. Norwegians are probably even worse, more cynical. Well, can you blame them? The overwhelming richness they were given by the oil and gass has gone straight to their heads. And since Norway was until the 60's/70's a fairly poor country, it will take them some time to sober up.
But basically, the situation seems hopeless. I see no signs that the world leaders have understood the concept of extrapolation well enough to appreciate the urgency of fast and radical changes in our interacting with this planet. They need a crisis in order to be able to start acting. By then it will be far too late.
As you say, nature will have its revenge. It deserves it.
I went to see my local MP today to discuss the very issues we have been discussing ... CO2 up from 280ppm to 390ppm and rising rapidly, the threat of a massive CO2 and methane release from permafrost etc. leading to an abrupt climate change event, possibly as early as 2040, rendering most of the planet unihabutable to humans. And of course a society totally unprepared for the economic and meltdown and food supply meltdown accompanying Peak Oil.
a) his knowledge of the topics was zero
b) he did not want to become informed
c) he wanted me out of his office as quickly as possible.
As left, I pointed out that his response was exactly what I had antipcipated (political party ideology before everything else), since I have encountered it on every occasion I have ever had a meeting with any politician, but by promoting policies of squandering energy resources and causing increased emissions -which he does- he was sabotaging both his own future and his children's future
He claims to be a Christian (indeed is supposedly an ex-pastor), so I suggested God might not be too impressed with his lust for money and power and worshipping of false idols.
He gave me the distinct impression could not care less. (He's probably a secret satanist, using his supposed 'Christianity' as a cover and vote-catcher).
When corruption, lies and ignorance are so endemic, the situation does look rather hopeless.
On the other hand, when it gets down to Darwinian survival phase (3 to 10 years from now), those with a few clues should have a biological advantage over the morons.
The point is not only about AGW. Changes would have happened anyway. Any society ruled by people with an adequate IQ would appreciate the seriousness of the current situation, and would start preparing future generations for inevitable changes.
Instead, we are ruled by complete idiots and our lifes are dictated by greedy businessmen who demand a fast pay-back.
I am by no means a socialist or communist. I like to think I am in spirit a good old fashioned American who adheres to principles of free enterprise, a free market and as little regulation by the state as possible. But this is only possible and viable IF and WHEN people act rationally and listen to reason. As long as the majority of the people act like idiots, we need some form of state that dictates what need to be done. However, it seems that current political leaders are both weak and stupid. That means that our only hope is a unified front of scientists who explains time after time after time the world is on the wrong track. But who listens???
I admit, it seems pretty hopeless right now. Even I should have been more observant and should have seen the signs earlier. I could have sold some assets with far more profit 5-10 years ago. And converted that money into a darwinistic survival kit. My greatest asset right now is that I see the big picture, however ugly that picture has become.
My hope is only that the time factor has been over-estimated...
All the evidence I am seeing indicates a very major economic dislocation within 6 months (the so-called stimulus plans just make matters worse) and very severe envronmental problems throughout much of the world by 2015. We are at a solar minimum just now, as you probably know,, so will be headed into unknown territiory when the (albeit slight) increase in insolation combines with runaway greenhouse gas emissions.
Many people believe all this corresponds with the long cycle Mayan calendar (in which the age of control is replaced by an age of consciousness, commencing 2012), or with a second coming of Christ.
One thing is certian. We cannot carry on [collectively] as we have, since to do so is mathematically impossible.
Howevre, it will undoubtedly take empty shelves at the supermaerket, or something similar, for the bulk of the population to wake up.
The fact that we live on a finite planet and that we are now hitting the wall on a wide range of issues -from peak oil, to peak water, to peak food - seems completely beyond the grasp of the average politician's feeble mind.
As for avoiding the Malthusian solution, I am sure it is already far too late.
As Derrick Jensen said, 'The earth is telling us, either you fix it or I will fix it. If I [the Earth] fix it, most of you will be gone'.
Professor Albert Bartlett said the same thing several years ago in his brillaint lecture 'Arithmentic, Population and Energy' ... Nature will deal with the problem in ways we won't like very much.
Since humans have refused to deal with the population problem, Nature has made a start.
And now going back to their old ways and tearing apart that treaty altogather.You make an agreement
when it suites you and next minute to do exactly opposite,and claim you want to be afreind of Pakistan.
Remeber one day will come you will have to payback what you are stealing from Pakistan now.
Most of them have never made a return of their investment.
Mostly, they end up being a means to transfer wealth from the poor to the rich.
The poor are dispossessed of their lands, for inadequate compensation (when they receive any at all), while others grow rich.
Now we see the water issue at risk of starting a war.
These schemes are anti-democratic at every level. They are wildly unpopular in the aid-donor and aid-recipient nations - except with the political elites.
Would someone please explain why we are financing schemes that undermine democracy and respect for human rights? Why are we financing conflict?
My family lives near the border areas and a war would be destructive to us. But some were enough has to be enough. These people killed milllions of us in the East-Punjab genocide in 1947. They facilitated the partition of Pakistan in 1971. They occuoied and engaged us in Siachen in 1984. They are facilitating the insurgency in Balochinstan. And now they are stealing our life giving water in an effort to make our land into a desert. I whish our defence forces would launch some cruse missile at this dam. If it means war so be it! Better war then accepting this!!!!
However, ever since creation of Pakistan in 1947 India has not let go an opportunity to harm Pakistan and this is one of their latest efforts to that end.
Prudence
---
In Pakistan many people would tell you that if this issue of water is not resolved, it will instigate a war between Pakistan and India. This water war will surely be blamed on India, as it is India which has been stealing Pakistan's water since many years. Bangladesh which also has irrigation, water and border problems with India, will side with Pakistan, as it is very very angry with India for its interference in Bangladesh since its creation in 1971. Srilanka is also very unhappy with India because the LTTE terrorists who waged a terrorist war in Srilanka since 1983, were created & supported by India. Furthermore, it was the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, which provided terrorist training and terrorist weapons, which the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) used in its terrorism against Srilanka, which destroyed the Srilankan economy. India is considered to be a terrorist country in the region of Asian subcontinent and we believe that the year of 2009 will be the year of "water war" between Pakistan and India.
Director, Peace, Not War, Geramny