The 1991 Indus Water Apportionment Accord was a landmark agreement designed to ensure the fair distribution of Pakistan’s most precious resource — water. However, over time, discussions around the accord have become narrowly focused on Clause 2, which deals with water apportionment, while neglecting the broader, forward-looking provisions aimed at securing Pakistan’s water future.

This agreement was never meant to be just a water distribution formula. It laid out a comprehensive vision for water management, addressing storage development, surplus distribution, ecological sustainability, provincial autonomy, and efficiency in water use. Unfortunately, delays in implementing key provisions — especially the construction of new reservoirs — have turned water allocation into a source of conflict rather than cooperation.

To truly understand the significance of the accord, we must go beyond Clause 2 and explore its holistic framework, clause by clause.

Clause 2 established the provincial water allocations from a total of 114.35 million acre-feet (MAF). These allocations were based on the demands and needs of the provinces. However, at the time of the accord, 102.73 MAF was already in use, creating a gap between existing usage and the newly allocated shares. The agreed allocations were as follows: 55.94 MAF for Punjab, 48.76 MAF for Sindh, 5.78 MAF for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 3.87 MAF for Balochistan.

The 1991 Water Accord is a comprehensive solution for........

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