Indus Waters Treaty Current Affairs for UPSC

India has rejected a new award of the Hague-based Court of Arbitration concerning the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, maintaining that the arbitral body was improperly constituted and has no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decision to keep the Treaty in abeyance. The Court, however, has unanimously held that the Treaty remains in force and has also ordered temporary restrictions on specified construction works at India's Ratle Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River. The episode brings together India-Pakistan relations, transboundary river governance, treaty law, hydropower development and international dispute settlement.

The debate over the future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), 1960 has intensified, with India keeping the treaty in abeyance since the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan raising the issue at international forums, and Pakistan yet to respond to India's formal notices of 2023 and 2024 seeking modification and renegotiation. Analysts argue that river systems are dynamic and the 1960 treaty is inadequate for contemporary challenges like climate change, groundwater, and water quality. This article explains the treaty's allocation design, the abeyance and arbitration developments, global treaty practices, the Mekong comparison, and the case for and against renegotiation for UPSC Prelims and Mains.