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Cutting across the Durand: Water dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan on river Kabul
Author(s) -
Ranjan Amit,
Chatterjee Drorima
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world water policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2639-541X
DOI - 10.1002/wwp2.12033
Subject(s) - riparian zone , context (archaeology) , international waters , sovereignty , politics , geography , political science , water resource management , law , environmental science , archaeology , ecology , biology , habitat
All nations firmly believe in the absolute sovereignty over the waters flow in their areas and that only riparian states have any legal right, apart from an agreement, to use the water from the shared river. To address some of their water concerns, the co‐riparian states compete to have more quantity of waters. Significantly, no water agreement exists between upper riparian Afghanistan and lower riparian Pakistan, despite sharing nine big and small rivers. The simmering water dispute between them on the River Kabul is rarely noted mainly because it is overshadowed by their political tensions, differences, and the dispute over the Durand Line. Using an analytical framework, this article examines three aspects of the River Kabul water dispute: its context, identifying the challenges that hinder a formalized bilateral agreement from being implemented, and its future.