Abstract India and Pakistan are at war with each other for over 70 years. To date, the two countrieshave four full scale wars. This thesis evaluates whether the dispute between Pakistan andIndia is linked with the economic development of the rival country or there are otherreasons for it such as terrorism, border disputes, etc. In the analysis, special attention ispaid to tensions related to Kashmir which started in 1948 and are still there. Kashmirplays a vital role in development of Pakistan in a broader context because The IndusRiver, which is the lifeline to Pakistan, flows through the Jammu and Kashmir. Casestudy method was employed, based on secondary data from the existing studies. Thisthesis is based on theories of international politics to explore the Indus Water Treaty andChina Pakistan Economic Corridor in relation to the economic development of Pakistan.The findings reveal that, contrary to the popular belief of the people of the two countriesthat India and Pakistan are fighting over Kashmir’s territory, much of the problems arerelated to economic issues. Indus Water Treaty and China Pakistan Economic Corridorare helping Pakistan in coming out of the vicious circle of poverty and moving towardsdevelopment. Economic development in Pakistan is not beneficial for India, as Pakistanand India compete in their export markets. So, India is creating hurdles in the economicdevelopment of Pakistan. The violation of Indus Water Treaty by India and India’sinterferences in China Pakistan Economic Corridor are two such examples of it. TheChina Pakistan Economic Corridor will increase foreign investment in Pakistan whichwill lead to economic development of Pakistan. This may strengthen Pakistan’s exportsector and challenge India in its international export markets. Therefore, India is creatinghurdles for Pakistan. Moreover, efficient utilization of water may lead to an increase inpower generation in Pakistan which would help it in overcoming energy shortageproblem, especially electricity. If this problem will be resolved, industry and exportsector will be developed, and Pakistan may compete India in export markets. It wasconcluded that major reason of conflicts between India and Pakistan are economic, notpolitical, geographical, or military.

Transboundary water treaties are often expected to prevent conflicts over waters from shared rivers. However, empirical evidence shows that some upstream countries continue to experience conflict after signing a water treaty. This study explains why some upstream countries experience high post-treaty transboundary water conflict levels while others do not. Departing from theories on the character of states, I argue that weaker upstream countries are more likely to experience post-treaty transboundary water conflict than stronger upstream states. This is because a weak upstream state has fewer capabilities, which creates an imbalance of power with its downstream riparian neighbor and presents a zero-sum game condition. As a result, the upstream state is more likely to experience a high level of conflict after signing an agreement. The hypothesis is tested on two transboundary river cases, the Helmand River Basin and the Indus River Basin, using a structured, focused comparison method. The data is collected through secondary sources, including books, journals, news articles, and reports, government records. The results of the study mainly support the theoretical arguments. It shows a significant relationship between the character of the upstream state and the level of post-treaty transboundary water conflict in the upstream state.

In the Kingdom of Lesotho, large dams are currently being constructed with the sole purpose of selling water to the Republic of South Africa, in order to earn royalties and to generate electricity for Lesotho. The focus of this study was to investigate the perception of the community on the socio-environmental impacts of Metolong Dam and Reservoir in Lesotho. A qualitative research methodology was adopted and grounded theory was used in collecting data from the study area. Qualitative research techniques used were document analysis, field notes and semi-structured interviews. After conducting an audit which evaluated the accuracy of the initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) by comparing actual to predict impacts, it was found that the perceptions of the community on the socio-economic impacts of Metolong project were: the community had poor education due to expensive school fees and their level of education did not help with dynamics on climate for they are complex and not easily to be understood, alcoholism existed due to unemployement, cultural constraints existed dominated by the patriarchal structures on the land and decision making, compensation policy was not honoured by project developers, the project brought benefits and loss of life-support resources, people are unable to grow wheat, beans and peas for their fields are taken and the community experienced loss of building sand that is not addressed. Information obtained helped the study to close the gap which appears not to have been addressed by the Government of Lesotho Department of Water Affairs Lowlands Water Supply Unit, 2008. Results of the study revealed that local villagers in the study area were happy with the project benefits, but they were discontented with the project as they were not incoporated in the management and supervision of the project. Rather, the local villagers were engaged only as labourers. The study recommends that when large dams are constructed, local villages should not be given promises that are dressed with many enticing commitments. The reason is that, communities never asked for the project, but it is set forth authoritatively as obligatory upon them. Project authorities should increase their efforts to fulfil promises made. Not only that, they should have respect, compassion, care and dedication when dealing with affected people. It is in this regard that the Local Based Project Execution and Observation Model is proposed, which will incorporate local villagers in the management steps of all large dam developments within their communities, in order to contend with environmental impacts of large dams. / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Management)

From the Proceedings of the 1974 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 19-20, 1974, Flagstaff, Arizona / A summary is given of interrelated, technical and institutional events concerning the Colorado River which took place between the United States and Mexico from 1849 to 1974 with emphasis on the 1961-1974 period. Until the treaty of 1944, Mexico had had no guarantee of a specific annual quantity of water, but in the years after 1945, when a guarantee of 1.5 million acre-feet per year was established, more than that amount was available for use. Salinity problems arose, and in 1965 an agreement for a 5-year plan for alleviating the technical and political difficulties surrounding the salinity question was made. In 1973 it was agreed that the United States would build, within approximately 5 years, a facility for desalting the saline drainage water entering Mexico. Fulfillment of the technical provisions for this agreement requires, in any event, the timely provision of federal funds to construct and operate the physical works. The several states should receive assurance that their rights and those of their respective water users will not be impaired within the legal operation of the agreement.