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  • © 2017

Imagining Industan

Overcoming Water Insecurity in the Indus Basin

  • Presents a basin-wide (four-nation) perspective
  • Focuses on transboundary cooperation on the Indus
  • Assesses country-by-country prospects for joint management on the Indus

Part of the book series: Water Security in a New World (WSEC)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Introductory Perspectives

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Introduction

      • Zafar Adeel, Robert G. Wirsing
      Pages 3-20
  3. The Costs and Scale of Transboundary Conflict

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 35-35
    2. The Ebb and Flow of Water Conflicts: A Case Study of India and Pakistan

      • Kristina Roic, Dustin Garrick, Manzoor Qadir
      Pages 49-66
  4. Concluding Perspectives

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 175-175
    2. The Role of International Development in Reimagining the Indus Basin

      • Zafar Adeel, Paula R. Newberg
      Pages 177-195
    3. Conclusion

      • Robert G. Wirsing, Zafar Adeel
      Pages 197-211
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 213-216

About this book

This volume calls upon over a dozen Indus observers to imagine a scenario for the Indus basin in which transboundary cooperation over water resources overcomes the insecurity arising from water dependence and scarcity. From diverse perspectives, its essays examine the potential benefits to be gained from revisiting the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, as well as from mounting joint efforts to increase water supply, to combat climate change, to develop hydroelectric power, and to improve water management.

The Indus basin is shared by four countries (Afghanistan, China, India, and Pakistan). The basin’s significance stems in part simply from the importance of these countries, three of them among the planet’s most populous states, one of them boasting the world’s second largest economy, and three of them members of the exclusive nuclear weapons club. However, the basin’s significance stems also from the great importance of the Indus waters themselves – due especially to the region’s massive dependence on irrigated agriculture as well as to the menace of climate change and advancing water scarcity. 

The “Industan” this volume imagines is a definite departure from business as usual responses to the Indus basin’s emerging fresh water crisis. The objective is to kindle serious discussion of the cooperation needed to confront what many water experts believe is developing into one of the planet’s most gravely threatened river basins. It is thus both assessment of the current state of play in regard to water security in the Indus basin and recommendation about where to go from here.

Editors and Affiliations

  • United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada

    Zafar Adeel

  • Formerly, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    Robert G. Wirsing

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access