Navigating Strategic Waters: Hydropolitical Disputes and Pathways to Peace in South Asia’s Indus and GangesBrahmaputra River Basins

Abstract

South Asia’s Indus and Ganges-Brahmaputra river basins, vital for over 1.9 billion people across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, are flashpoints for hydropolitical conflicts driven by geopolitical tensions, competing water demands, and climate change. India’s 2025 suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) amid the Kashmir dispute has disrupted data-sharing and arbitration, escalating India-Pakistan tensions. Concurrently, India-Bangladesh disputes persist over the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty’s 2026 expiration, the unresolved Teesta River issue, and China’s upstream Brahmaputra damming. Secondary data from policy documents, diplomatic records (2015–2025), hydrological reports, and academic literature indicate that 68% of stakeholders support regional cooperation, yet mistrust and India’s upstream dominance hinder progress. Climate change, with glacial melt and erratic monsoons, exacerbates water insecurity. This study advocates for neutral mediation, data transparency, and climate-resilient governance, with targeted peacebuilding strategies for India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh, to transform conflicts into cooperative opportunities. Without urgent diplomatic efforts, these disputes pose a threat to regional stability. This study is primarily based on a thematic analysis approach and incorporates discourse where relevant. Drawing on scholarly insights, principal findings reveal the potential of environmental peacebuilding, joint data sharing, and regional platforms to transform water conflicts into opportunities for collaboration