"Water resources are both an asset and a source of conflict in South Asia." Examine this statement giving examples. (Answer in…

"Water resources are both an asset and a source of conflict in South Asia." Examine this statement giving examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

“दक्षिणी एशिया में जल संसाधन, सम्पत्ति और विवाद का स्रोत दोनों हैं।” उदाहरण देते हुए इस कथन का परीक्षण कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

The question as printed in the 2026 General Studies paper

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Model answer

Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.

South Asia's rivers underpin its food and energy security. The Indus and Ganga-Brahmaputra basins irrigate vast fertile plains that sustain hundreds of millions, while Bhutan's hydropower exports to India show water as a shared asset.

Sources of Conflict Transboundary rivers also breed friction. Under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), India and Pakistan have long disputed upstream projects such as Kishanganga and Ratle, and India has held the Treaty in abeyance since April 2025. Teesta water-sharing remains unresolved, and sharing at Farakka rests on the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty with Bangladesh, which expires in December 2026. China's Medog dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), begun in 2025, worries India and Bangladesh downstream, while the Kosi and Gandak arrangements with Nepal see recurring friction over floods and benefit-sharing. Internally, groundwater depletion in Punjab and Haryana erodes the asset itself.

Assessment Water becomes a flashpoint mainly through competing sovereignty, yet the Permanent Indus Commission long showed that treaty-based cooperation can contain conflict. Basin-wide, integrated management is needed to keep water an asset.

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: GS1 Geography: Physical-Human Linkage

What earns full marks: Clear mechanism of conflict/asset with specific examples and map.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

The answer Examine, with examples, how water resources in South Asia are both an asset (irrigation, hydropower, livelihoods) and a source of conflict (transboundary and internal), and conclude on cooperation versus conflict. 10 marks · 150 words

examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion
Must cover
- Explain water as a source of conflict
- Explain water as a strategic asset
- Provide specific examples of regional disputes
- Provide specific examples of resource utilization
Loses marks
- Listing disputes without explaining the asset dimension
- Taking a partisan, one-country stance on contested disputes
- Factual errors on treaties (names, dates, parties)
Earns more
- Specific river basins (Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra) and their economic role
- Specific treaties: Indus Waters Treaty 1960, Ganga Water Treaty 1996, Kosi/Gandak or Mahakali agreements with Nepal
- China's upstream dams on the Brahmaputra as an emerging concern
- Internal stress such as groundwater depletion or inter-state river disputes
- Balanced conclusion on cooperation versus conflict
Extra mark
- 30-second sketch map of the transboundary river basins
- Current developments: Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance since April 2025; Ganga Water Treaty due to expire in December 2026

What "Examine" is asking you to do

Test the proposition the question puts to you and return a finding on how far it holds. Examine stems carry a claim, or ask whether something has happened, and expect evidence weighed both ways before the extent is stated — often with remedial measures attached.

Structure that answers it

Restate the claim as the question frames it → evidence that supports it → evidence that undercuts it → the conditions under which it holds → verdict on how far it stands

Where marks are lost

Stopping at description. An examination has to reach a finding, and “examine with justification” means the extent must be stated, not implied.

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