NEW DELHI: Pakistan is one of the world’s three most water-stressed countries. And it is their concern about the uninterrupted supply of water that makes the talks around the Indus Water Treaty so relevant for them.
Amongst the demands that Pakistan has laid before the Indian government, under the Indus Water Treaty, is the sharing of flood forecast data. This is the 118th bilateral meeting being held between India and Pakistan. The event takes place alternately between India and Pakistan. The last meeting was held in Islamabad in March this year.
A five-member delegation from Pakistan, led by their commissioner for Indus Waters, Syed Muhammed Mehr Ali Shah reached Delhi on Sunday via Wagah border. The first round of talks took place in Delhi on Monday.
The Pakistani side hoped that the process would be meaningful. Not many details were shared on Monday as the main talks are to be held on Tuesday. Discussions will also include hydropower projects being built by Indian on the west flowing rivers.
Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change, Sherry Rehman, had earlier this month raised the issue of water scarcity in the country, where intense water crisis has led to droughts.