The thirsty elephant: India's water security challenges

This paper examines India's water security challenges. It notes that if trends persist, more than 100 million Indians will soon face desperate domestic, agricultural and industrial water shortages, with serious implications for longer-term food security, livelihoods and economic growth. It contends that there is also potential for India's water security challenges to aggravate existing interstate tensions, with significant consequences for regional stability.The paper asserts that a key issue will be whether India can secure its water requirements without further aggravating tensions with its neighbours. It argues that it clearly is in the interests of all parties that India—but also its neighbours Pakistan and China—strive to resolve the issue cooperatively on a region-wide basis, ideally under the auspices of broader, multilateral forums. Otherwise, increased competition and the potential for confrontation seem longer-term possibilities, posing significant risk for India's continued socio-economic rise, as well as the security and stability of the broader region.

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