The Geopolitics of water in the Himalayas

Abstract

The competition over the water resources of the Himalayan plateau is shaping the geopolitics of the Asian continent. Economic growth, industrialisation, pollution and growing population have created an unprecedented water-stress on the world’s driest continent. Water shortages have created geopolitical tensions and intensified competition over the resources of the transboundary rivers such as the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra and Amu Darya. This research examines the international relations amongst the countries where these rivers flow and the challenges that arise from friction over water resources, taking the Brahmaputra as a case study.