India and Pakistan Face a Deepening Water Crisis Amid Record Heatwaves
- Water Scarcity in South Asia: Why India and Pakistan Must Act Together
- From Heatwaves to Water Wars: The Growing Crisis in India and Pakistan
- A Thirsty Subcontinent: The Urgent Water Challenge Facing India and Pakistan
Water, Not War: Why India and Pakistan Need a Joint Response to the Water Crisis
As record-breaking heatwaves grip India and Pakistan, millions face acute water shortages. Justice Markandey Katju argues for urgent bilateral cooperation to prevent social unrest and secure access to water, a fundamental human right.
The acute water shortage crisis in India and Pakistan'
By Justice Markandey Katju''Rahiman paani raakhiye, bin paani sab soon
Paani gaye na oobarey, moti, maanush, choon ''
(Doha or couplet of the famous Hindi poet Rahim )
This summer, India and Pakistan have been facing a severe heat wave, with the maximum temperature in Delhi rising to 45 degrees centigrade, and to 50 degrees centigrade in Rajasthan.
Pakistan is facing a similar situation.
And the month of June is still ahead of us, when it is likely to become hotter.
But along with the intense heat, has come a severe water shortage crisis in both countries.
Half of India's population of 1.4 billion people ( twice the total population of the USA ) lack access to safe water.
The causes include depleting groundwater, contaminated surface water, and lack of access to piped water supply. The effects from climate change like droughts and rising sea levels also affect access to safe water for families in India
This has led to massive protests across India
Forget bathing and washing, even drinking water is often inaccessible to the people
People in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and scores of other Indian cities are reeling under acute water shortage
When I was a Judge in the Supreme Court, my bench in 2009 had directed the Central Government to form a committee of scientific experts to find ways to solve the problem, as we felt that the right to get water is a part of the right to life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India. However, nothing came of it.
A similar crisis is being faced in Pakistan
Since both countries are facing similar crises, which are deepening, the best course of action is for the governments of both countries to forget fighting each other, and immediately get together and form a joint committee of scientific and technical experts and administrators to study the problem and find scientific solutions to it. Failure to do so may result in massive public disturbances and unrest, and even civil wars, over water shortage in both countries.
(Justice Katju is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.)
