TY - JOUR
T1 - International water law and hydropolitics: An enquiry into the water conflict between India and Nepal
AU - Vasani, Harsh
N1 - Funding: This work was supported by the British International Studies Association; University of East Anglia.
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - Despite an open border, shared culture, religious ties and strong people-to-people connectivity, governance of transboundary water resources has often led to diplomatic conflicts between India and Nepal. It is not unusual for hydro-development projects between the two to run into delays or opposition, despite great domestic need for water and electricity in both countries. Using fieldwork in Delhi and Kathmandu, this paper illustrates the factors that impede cooperation between the two sides on shared rivers and how the inadequacies of international water laws manifest themselves in bilateral negotiations on water governance. The paper locates the benefit-sharing framework in international water law using the case studies of the Pancheshwar and the SaptaKoshi–SunKoshi Project in the Mahakali and Koshi basins.
AB - Despite an open border, shared culture, religious ties and strong people-to-people connectivity, governance of transboundary water resources has often led to diplomatic conflicts between India and Nepal. It is not unusual for hydro-development projects between the two to run into delays or opposition, despite great domestic need for water and electricity in both countries. Using fieldwork in Delhi and Kathmandu, this paper illustrates the factors that impede cooperation between the two sides on shared rivers and how the inadequacies of international water laws manifest themselves in bilateral negotiations on water governance. The paper locates the benefit-sharing framework in international water law using the case studies of the Pancheshwar and the SaptaKoshi–SunKoshi Project in the Mahakali and Koshi basins.
U2 - 10.1080/02508060.2023.2176595
DO - 10.1080/02508060.2023.2176595
M3 - Article
VL - 48
SP - 259
EP - 281
JO - Water International
JF - Water International
SN - 0250-8060
IS - 2
ER -