Water Security for India: Challenges and Cooperation with South and Southeast Asian Neighbours, with a Special Focus on China

The issue of water is a vital security challenge in India due to the intricacies of transboundary water governance with its South and Southeast Asian neighbours, China in particular. India, as a middle riparian state, faces unique vulnerabilities: Upstream countries such as China control the headwaters of rivers like the Brahmaputra, while downstream nations—including Bangladesh and Pakistan—depend on India’s water management policies. The challenges are intensified in the context of local variations of water-sharing regimes. There is no formal treaty in eastern South Asia, and middle riparian states such as India and Iran are theoretically exposed to upstream developments, unlike in the west, where the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) forms an example of institutionally framed cooperation. Building on successful precedents such as the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC), this paper argues for a UN-backed regional cooperative arrangement among middle riparian states, grounded in the UN Watercourses Convention. The framework would ensure equitable distribution of water, require environmental impact assessment, and provide for binding dispute resolution. Leading an initiative like this would put India in a position to promote transparency and sustainable water management, and to reduce geopolitical tensions in shared river basins such as the Brahmaputra. By scenario-building and multilateral diplomacy, this approach enables India to lead regional water cooperation, addressing the rising water crisis and promoting long-term cooperation and climate resilience across South and Southeast Asia.