GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

China and India's Disputes Spill Over Into Their Water Supply

May 22, 2018 | 18:02 GMT

Fishermen get ready to cast their net on the Brahmaputra River, part of a massive river system that India shares with China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Fishermen get ready to cast their net on the Brahmaputra River, part of a massive river system that India shares with China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

(BIJU BORO/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Despite the size and importance of the massive interconnected river system China and India share (along with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh), no integrated structure exists for its management, and the bilateral agreements that govern it are far from sufficient.
  • Political disputes, such as the 2017 standoff over the Doklam Plateau, could harm the waterways China and India share.
  • Unless the countries agree to institute a basinwide mechanism for water management, the river systems they both depend on will be at risk.

Nearly a year after their standoff on the Doklam Plateau began, India and China are trying to get their relationship back on track. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping late last month in Wuhan with just that goal in mind, and though their summit was more spectacle than substance, it was nonetheless a necessary step toward resolution. The informal meeting gave the two leaders a prime opportunity to lay aside, however briefly, their countries' long-standing differences and focus on topics of mutual concern, such as climate change, food security and natural disasters. Yet one related issue was missing from the agenda: water. If Beijing and New Delhi fail to address the matter, the repercussions for the region, its inhabitants and its environment will likely be devastating....

Keep Reading

Register to read three free articles

Proceed to sign up

Register Now

Already have an account?

Sign In