The Political Ecology of Water Conflicts in the Indus Basin Power, Scarcity, and Transboundary Governance in South Asia

Abstract

This study explores the political ecology of water conflicts in the Indus Basin, one of the most geopolitically contested and environmentally fragile river systems in South Asia. Drawing on critical political ecology, the paper examines how power asymmetries, institutional structures, and socio-environmental inequalities shape transboundary and intra-state water disputes. The Indus Waters Treaty, while often lauded as a model of cooperation, is critiqued for its institutional rigidity and exclusion of ecological and climate realities. At the domestic level, water conflicts between provinces, particularly Punjab and Sindh, are shaped by infrastructural control, bureaucratic dominance, and ecological marginalization. The crisis in the Indus Delta, the impacts of climate change, and the securitization of water further complicate governance. The paper concludes by advocating a revised and ecologically grounded approach to water governance in the region, with attention to institutional reform, climate adaptation, and the rights of marginalized communities.