Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Water woes: On negotiations to amend the Indus Waters Treaty

Water woes: On negotiations to amend the Indus Waters Treaty

Opening up the entire Indus Water Treaty could come with its own set of challenges

The government’s decision to issue notice to Pakistan, calling for negotiations (बातचीत) to amend (संशोधन करना, बदलना) the Indus Waters Treaty (संधि, समझौता), must be considered carefully. New Delhi says this extreme step is due to (इस कारण, की वजह से) Pakistan’s intransigence (कट्टरता, हठ) over objections (आपत्ति, विरोध) to two Indian hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir: the 330MW Kishanganga hydroelectric (जल-विद्युत) project (Jhelum) and the 850MW Ratle hydroelectric project (Chenab). India has argued since 2006, when the objections began, that the projects were within the treaty’s fair water use. However, Pakistan has refused to conclude negotiations with India in the bilateral (द्विपक्षीय) mechanism — the Permanent Indus Commission (स्थायी सिंधु आयोग) of experts that meets regularly — and has often sought to escalate (ख़राब करना, तीव्र करना) it. As a result (फलस्वरूप, बाद में), the World Bank (विश्व बैंक) appointed a neutral (तटस्थ, निष्पक्ष, उद्देश्य) expert, but Pakistan pushed for the case to be heard at The Hague (A city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands. The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice. The Hague is a metonym of The International Court of Justice (ICJ)/ World Court. (Metonym is used as an alternative for something else with which it is closely related/associated)). India has objected (oppose, go against, reject, negate) to this sequencing (a particular order), as it believes that each step should be fully exhausted (use up, finish, go through, run through) before moving on to the next. While India was able to prevail over the World Bank to pause the process in 2016, Pakistan persisted (continue, carry on, keep going), and since March 2022, the World Bank has agreed to have both a neutral expert and a Court of Arbitration (a court, sometimes outside of the official judicial system of a country, that resolves certain kinds of disputes) (CoA) hear the arguments. India attended the hearings with the neutral expert last year, but has decided to boycott (avoid, shun, reject) the CoA at The Hague that began its hearing (inquiry, litigation, judicial proceedings) on Friday. New Delhi says as talks have hit (reach a level/stage) a dead-end, it wants the entire treaty to be opened up (become available or become accessible) for amendments (revision, alteration, change) and renegotiations (a process of negotiating again to modify or reconstruct previous/existing trade terms). India’s accusations against Pakistan may be valid, given (considering, taking into account, bearing in mind) that Islamabad has failed to provide material evidence of the two projects hampering (obstruct, impede, hinder, block, interrupt, stop) its water supply. The World Bank’s decision to hold (conduct, convene, organize, arrange) two parallel adjudication (arbitration, settlement, resolution, verdict) processes is also perilous (dangerous, risky, precarious, insecure, life-threatening) as there could be contradictory rulings (judgement, adjudication, verdict). However, opening up the treaty for review has its own problems that India must deliberate on (think about, ponder, consider) with a cool mind.

To begin with (at first, at the outset, at the beginning), the Indus Waters Treaty that decided the distribution of the six tributaries (branch river, side stream) of the Indus or Sindhu between the two nations took nearly a decade (a period of ten years) to negotiate originally before its signing in 1960. Built in were mechanisms for coordination and dispute (disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, argument, quarrel) resolution that have held the treaty in good stead for at least half a century, and it has often been used as a template (model, pattern/example, blueprint) between upper riparian (located on the bank of a river) and lower riparian states worldwide. That it has endured (continue, sustain, last, persist, remain, stay, go on) despite (in spite of, notwithstanding, regardless of) conflict and political rhetoric between India and Pakistan is a testament to its text. In addition (additionally, as well, apart from, besides), if India and Pakistan have not been able to resolve issues over one case in their Indus Commission talks (discussions, negotiations, deliberation) over 16 years, what guarantees are there that they can renegotiate the whole treaty within any reasonable time-frame (a particular period of time (within which something has to be done))? At a time when there is no political dialogue (discussions, talks, negotiation, consultation, deliberation), trade and air or rail connectivity between them, reopening negotiations could open a new flank (side, aspect) for India-Pakistan confrontation (clash, fight, conflict, tussle, skirmish).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.woes (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परेशानी, कठिनाई
English Meaning - trouble, difficulty, problem.

2.negotiation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बातचीत
English Meaning - discussion, deliberation, debate, dialogue, discourse.

3.amend (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संशोधन करना, बदलना
English Meaning - alter, change, modify.

4.treaty (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संधि, समझौता
English Meaning - agreement, accord, protocol, pact, deal.

5.due to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इस कारण, की वजह से
English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.

6.intransigence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कट्टरता, हठ
English Meaning - refusal or unwillingness to change/compromise on something (view, attitude, behaviour, position); refusal to agree about something; inflexibility, rigidity, single-mindedness, firmness.

7.objection (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आपत्ति, विरोध
English Meaning - protest, opposition, counter-argument, disapproval, disagreement, complaint.

8.hydroelectric (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जल-विद्युत
English Meaning - relating to hydel power project that uses energy stored in water to produce electricity.

9.bilateral (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - द्विपक्षीय
English Meaning - involving two groups or countries.

10.commission (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आयोग, समिति
English Meaning - board, committee, panel, advisory body, council.

11.Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्थायी सिंधु आयोग
English Meaning - it is a bilateral commission consisting of officials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage the goals and objectives and outlines of the Indus Waters Treaty.

12.escalate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ख़राब करना, तीव्र करना
English Meaning - make serious, intensify, accelerate.

13.as a result (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - फलस्वरूप, बाद में
English Meaning - subsequently, therefore, thus.

14.World Bank (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विश्व बैंक
English Meaning - The World Bank is an international development organization owned by 187 countries. Its role is to reduce poverty by lending money to the governments of its poorer members to improve their economies and to improve the standard of living of their people. The World Bank was established in 1944 to help rebuild Europe and Japan after World War II. Its official name was the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

15.neutral (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तटस्थ, निष्पक्ष, उद्देश्य
English Meaning - impartial, unbiased, objective.

16.fair (adjective)

English Meaning - neutral, even-handed, impartial, legitimate.

17.hydropower (noun)

English Meaning - power derived from the energy of falling water or fast running water.

18.open up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - become available or become accessible.

19.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, need, necessitate, make necessary, demand, publicly ask for.

20.Indus Water Treaty (IWT) (noun)

English Meaning - Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed on September 19, 1960, between India and Pakistan to share waters from the Indus system of rivers.

21.sought past tense of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt; ask for, request, demand.

22.The Hague (proper noun)

English Meaning - A city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands. The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice. The Hague is a metonym of The International Court of Justice (ICJ)/ World Court. (Metonym is used as an alternative for something else with which it is closely related/associated).

23.The International Court of Justice (ICJ) / World Court (noun)

English Meaning - It is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946. The seat (headquarters) of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands).

24.object (verb)

English Meaning - oppose, go against, reject, negate.

25.sequencing (noun)

English Meaning - a particular order.

26.exhaust (verb)

English Meaning - use up, finish, go through, run through.

27.prevail upon/prevail over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - influence, persuade, convince, urge; succeed, triumph, be victorious, gain mastery, prove superior.

28.persist (verb)

English Meaning - continue, carry on, keep going.

29.Court of Arbitration (CoA) (noun)

English Meaning - a court, sometimes outside of the official judicial system of a country, that resolves certain kinds of disputes.

30.arbitration (noun)

English Meaning - mediation, mediatorship, negotiation, conciliation, peacemaking.

31.hearing (noun)

English Meaning - inquiry, litigation, judicial proceedings.

32.boycott (verb)

English Meaning - avoid, shun, reject.

33.hit (verb)

English Meaning - reach a level/stage.

34.dead-end (noun)

English Meaning - stalemate, stand-off, standstill, impasse.

35.amendment (noun)

English Meaning - revision, alteration, change.

36.renegotiation (noun)

English Meaning - a process of negotiating again to modify or reconstruct previous/existing trade terms.

37.accusation (noun)

English Meaning - claim, allegation, charge, indictment.

38.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

39.material (adjective)

English Meaning - vital, key, important, significant.

40.hamper (verb)

English Meaning - obstruct, impede, hinder, block, interrupt, stop.

41.hold (verb)

English Meaning - conduct, convene, organize, arrange.

42.adjudication (noun)

English Meaning - arbitration, settlement, resolution, verdict.

43.perilous (adjective)

English Meaning - dangerous, risky, precarious, insecure, life-threatening.

44.contradictory (adjective)

English Meaning - different, dissimilar, inconsistent, incompatible.

45.ruling (noun)

English Meaning - judgement, adjudication, verdict.

46.deliberate on (verb)

English Meaning - think about, ponder, consider.

47.to begin with (phrase)

English Meaning - at first, at the outset, at the beginning.

48.tributary (noun)

English Meaning - branch river, side stream.

49.decade (noun)

English Meaning - a period of ten years.

50.dispute (noun)

English Meaning - disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, argument, quarrel.

51.stand/hold someone in good stead (phrase)

English Meaning - be beneficial, be advantageous, be useful.

52.template (noun)

English Meaning - model, pattern/example, blueprint.

53.riparian (adjective)

English Meaning - located on the bank of a river.

54.endure (verb)

English Meaning - continue, sustain, last, persist, remain, stay, go on.

55.despite (preposition)

English Meaning - in spite of, notwithstanding, regardless of.

56.rhetoric (noun)

English Meaning - bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.

57.testament (noun)

English Meaning - witness/evidence, proof, testimony.

58.in addition (phrase)

English Meaning - additionally, as well, apart from, besides.

59.talks (noun)

English Meaning - discussions, negotiations, deliberation.

60.time-frame (noun)

English Meaning - a particular period of time (within which something has to be done).

61.at a time (phrase)

English Meaning - during one particular time.

62.dialogue (noun)

English Meaning - discussions, talks, negotiation, consultation, deliberation.

63.flank (noun)

English Meaning - side, aspect.

64.confrontation (noun)

English Meaning - clash, fight, conflict, tussle, skirmish.