21CH201 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

AND ENGINEERING
Unit I – NATURAL RESOURCES
Part B – QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS

Discuss the uses of Forest resources. Explain the cause effect and control
measures. Uses of Forests
Commercial uses:
The chief product that forests supply is wood, which is used as fuel, raw material for
various industries as pulp, paper, newsprint, board, timber for furniture items, other uses
as in packing articles, matches, sports goods etc.
Indian forests also supply minor products like gums, resins, dyes, tannins, fibers, etc.
Many of the plants are utilized in preparing medicines and drugs; Total worth of which
is estimated to be more than $300 billion per year.
Many forests lands are used for mining, agriculture, grazing, and recreation and for
development of dams.
Ecological uses:
The ecological services provided by our forests may be summed up as follows:
Production of Oxygen: The main green house gas carbondioxide is absorbed by the
forests as a raw material for photo synthesis. Thus forest canopy acts as a sink for
corbondioxide thereby reducing the problem of global warming caused by green house
gas CO2
Wild life habitat: Forests are the homes of millions of wild animals and plants. About 7
million species are found in the tropical forests alone.
Regulation of hydrological Cycle: Forested watersheds act like giant sponges,
absorbing the rainfall, slowing down the runoff. They control climate through
transpiration of water and seed clouding.
Soil Conservation: Forests bind the soil particles tightly in their roots and prevent soil
erosion. They also act as wind breakers.
Pollution moderators: Forests can absorb many toxic gases and can help in keeping the
air pure and in preventing noise pollution.
Causes of Deforestation:
Major causes of deforestation are listed below:
1. Increase in demand of wood products
Forests are the valuable assets for our country. They provide habitat for plants and
animals.
The people who need wood for their domestic purpose make deforestation.
2. Due to fuel requirements:
To meet the fuel requirements, the rural people are cutting down the trees.
 3. Due to developmental projects
The developmental projects across the various parts of the country also cause
a major change in the forest. Like dams construction, making of roads, hydro
projects etc.

4. Due to mining operations:

Forest area is generally cleared to do mining activities. To collect the ores of minerals,
fuels etc. Mining reduces the forest area.
5. Slash and burn cultivation
Due to farming across various parts of our country, the cultivation of
plants will differ and also due to the demand, deforestation will take
place.
6. Increase in Population
Due to the increase in population, forests are converted into rural areas
which destroy the living plants and animals.
7. Forest fires
Due to the increase in temperature, the forest fires will happen. This
results in destroy of plants and animals.
Consequences of deforestation:

Some of the effects of deforestation are listed below:

a) Effect on climate
Global warming:
 Cutting & burning of forest trees increase CO2 content in atmosphere
 This causes global warming and depletion of ozone layer.
 Less rainfall
 Hot climate and others.
b) Effect on biodiversity
 Loss of medicinal plants.
 Loss of timber, fuel wood and others.
c) Effect on resources
 Loss of land resource
 Loss of soil fertility
 Soil erosion
 Drastic changes in biogeochemical cycles

d) Effect on economy
 Increase in medicinal values
 Demand of industrial products and others
e) Effect on food
 Loss of fruit production
 Loss of root based foods
e) Soil erosion: Forest trees act as natural barrier to reduce the wind velocity & reduce
soil erosion. Deforestation causes soil erosion, floods, landslides, and drought.
Preventive measures of conservation of forests
 Planting trees to replace the cut down trees
 Reduce: Use of wood for fuel should be discouraged
 Foprest Pest control:Controlling forest pest by spraying pesticides using
aeroplanes
 Controlling forest fire by modern techniques
 Controlling over grazing by controlling cattle population
 Discouraging migration of tribal people by the government.
 Conducting education & awareness programmes
 Implementationof act: Strict implementation of law of forest conservation act.

DAMS & THEIR EFFECTS ON FORESTS & TRIBAL PEOPLE:

Definition: Dams are artificial structures built across the river to create reservoir to store
water.
Indian Scenario:
Maharashtra = more than 600 dams, Gujarat = more than 250 dams
Madhya Pradesh = more than 130 dams
Effects of dam on forest:
●Thousands of hectares of forest are cleared for river valley projects
●Forest is also cleared for residential, office, buildings,
storing materials, laying roads etc
●Hydro electric projects have led to loss of forest.
●Dam construction kills wild animals & aquatic life
●Hydro electric projects spread water borne diseases.
●Water logging leads to salinity & reduces the fertility of land.
( Examples)
Narmada Sagar Project = submerged 3.5 lakhs hectares of forest
Tehri dam = submerged 1000 hectares of forest
Benefits of Constructing Dams:

● Control flood & store water

● Divert water from river into a channel
● Used for drinking & agricultural purposes
● Built for generating electricity
● Used for recreational purposes
● Navigation & fishery can be developed in dam areas
● Help for the socio economic development of the society
 ● Used for irrigation during dry seasons
● Prevent drought
Problems of Constructing Dams:
Upstream Problem:

● Displacement of tribal people

● Loss of forests, flora & fauna
● Soil erosion, sedimentation, siltation occurs
● Water logging retards plant growth
● Spread of vector-borne & water borne diseases
● Reservoir Induced Seismicity (RIS) causes earthquake

Down Down stream problems:

● Water logging causes salinity

● Silt deposition in rivers
● Salt water intrusion in river
● As nutrients deposits in reservoir, land losses its fertility
● Structural defects of dam destroy many living organisms

Effects of dam on tribal people:

· Displacement of tribal people
· Cultural change affects the tribal people mentally & physically
· They do not accommodate the modern food habits & life styles.
· Tribal’s are ill treated by modern society
· They are recognized and compensated
· Their body condition will not suit the new area & are affected by many diseases.
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES - ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL
Different natural resources like forests, water, soil, food, min ral and energy resources
play a vital role in the development of a nation. While conservation efforts are und rway
at National as well as International level, the individual efforts for conservation of natural
resources can go a long way.
I. Conserve Water

● Water to be used carefully and economically

● Don't keep water taps running while brushing, shaving, washing or bathing.
● Check for water leaks in pipes and toilets and repair them promptly. A small pin-
hole sized leak will lead to the wastage of 640 liters of water in a month.
● Use drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation to improve irrigation efficiency and
reduce evaporation. Install a small system to capture rain water and collect normally
wasted used water from sinks, cloth-washers, bathtubs etc. which can be used for
watering the plants
● Build rain water harvesting system in your house.

II. Conserve energy

● Turn off lights, fans and other appliances when not in use.
● Dry the clothes in sun instead of drier if it is a sunny day.
● Use solar cooker for cooking your food on sunny days which will be more
nutritious and will cut down on your LPG expenses.
● Grow deciduous trees and climbers at proper places outside your home to cut off
intense heat of summers and get a cool breeze and shade. This will cut off your
electricity charges on coolers and air-conditioners.
● Try riding bicycle or just walk down small distances instead of using your car or
scooter.
● Encourage eating local fruits and vegetables, this will cut down transportation fuel.
● Use pressure cooker for cooking to cut down gas consumption..

III. Protect the soil

● Grow different types of plants, herbs, trees and grass in garden and open
areas, which bind the soil and prevent erosion.
● Don’t use more fertilizer and pesticides.
● Use natural manure to the crops.
● While constructing the house, don't uproot the trees as far as possible.
● Use mixed cropping, so that some specific soil nutrients will not get depleted.
● By conducting awareness programmes on afforestation.
● By making suitable outlet channels to carry out flood water.
● Make compost from your kitchen waste and use it for your kitchen-garden.
● If you own agricultural fields, do not over-irrigate your fields without proper drainage
to prevent water logging and salinisation.

IV. Promote Sustainable Agriculture

● Do not waste food. Take as much as you can eat

● Reduce the use of pesticides.
● Fertilize your crop primarily with organic fertilizers.
● Eat local and seasonal vegetables. This saves lot of energy on transport, storage
and preservation.
● Control pests by a combination of cultivation and biological control methods.
V. Conservation of forest

o Use non-timber products

o Plant more trees and protect them
o Overgrazing must be controlled
 o Minimize the use of papers and fuel wood
o
Explain-Modern Agriculture and its impacts:
o It makes use of hybrid seeds of selected and single crop variety.
o high-tech equipments, lots of energy subsidies in the form of fertilizers and, pesticides
o Irrigation water
Main impacts:
I. Impacts related to high yielding verities (HYV): The uses of HYVs encourage
monoculture i.e. the same genotype is grown over vast areas. Incase of an attack by
some pathogen, there is total devastation of the crop by the disease due to exactly
uniform conditions, which help in rapid spread of the disease.
II. Fertilizer related problems:
a. Micronutrient imbalance: Chemical fertilizers have nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium (N,P,K) which are essential macronutrients. Excessive use of
fertilizers cause micronutrient imbalance. For example, excessive fertilizer use
in Punjab and Haryana has caused deficiency of the micronutrient Zinc in the
soils, which is affecting productivity of the soil.
b. Nitrate Pollution: Nitrogenous fertilizers applied in the fields often leach
deep into the soil and ultimately contaminate the ground water. The nitrates
get concentrated in the water and when their concentration exceeds 25 mg/L,
they become the cause of a serious health hazard called "Blue Baby
Syndrome" or methaemoglobinemia. This disease affects the infants to the
maximum extent causing even death.
c. Eutrophication: A large proportion of nitrogen and phosphorus used in crop
fields is washed off along with runoff water and reach the water bodies
causing over nourishment of the lakes, a process known as Eutrophication.
Due to Eutrophication the lakes get invaded by algal blooms. These algal
species grow very fast by rapidly using up the nutrients. The algal species
quickly complete their life cycle and die thereby adding a lot of dead matter.
Oxygen is consumed in the process of decomposition and very soon the water
gets depleted of dissolved oxygen. Thus anaerobic conditions are created
where only pathogenic anaerobic bacteria can survive. Thus, due to excessive
use of fertilizers in the agricultural fields the lake ecosystem gets degraded.
III. Pesticide related problems: Thousands of types of pesticides are used in agriculture.
The first generation pesticides include chemicals like sulphur, arsenic, lead or
mercury to kill the pests. They have number of side effects as discussed below:
a. Creating resistance in pests and producing new pests: About 20 species of
pests are now known which have become immune to all types of pesticides
and are known as "Super pests".
b. Death of non-target organisms: Many insecticides not only kill the target
species but also several non-target species that are useful to us.
c. Biological magnification: Many of the pesticides are non-biodegradable and
keep on accumulating in the food chain, a process called biological
magnification. This is very harmful.
IV. Water Logging: Over irrigation of croplands by farmers for good growth of their
crop usually leads to water logging. This causes excess water in underground and
gradually forms a continuous column with the water table. The roots of plants do not
get adequate air for respiration, Mechanical strength of the soil declines, the crop
plants get lodged
 and crop yield falls.
Example: In Punjab and Haryana, extensive areas have become water-logged due to
adequate canal water supply or tube-well water. Preventing excessive irrigation, sub-
surface drainage technology and bio-drainage with trees like Eucalyptus are some of
the remedial measures to prevent water-logging.
V. Salinity Problem: At present one third of the total cultivable land area of the world is
affected by salts. Saline soils are characterized by the accumulation of soluble salts
like sodium chloride, sodium sulphate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride etc. in
the soil profile. Their electrical conductivity is more than 4 dS/m. Sodic soils have
carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium, the pH usually exceeds 8.0 and the
exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) is more than 15%.
Remedy:
(i) The most common method for getting rid of salts is to flush them out by
applying more good quality water to such soils.
(ii) Another method is laying underground network of perforated drainage pipes
for flushing out the salts slowly.
How to reduce Soil erosion?
 Soil erosion is defined as the movement of soil components, especially surface
litter and top soil from one place to another.
 Soil erosion results in the loss of fertility because it is the top soil layer which
is fertile.
Soil erosion is basically of two types based upon the cause of erosion:
a) Normal erosion or geological erosion: caused by the gradual removal of top
soil by natural processes due to physical, biological and hydrological activities
and maintain a natural balance between erosion and renewal.
b) Accelerate erosion: This is mainly caused by man made activities and the rate
of erosion is much faster than the rate of formation of soil. Overgrazing,
deforestation and mining are some important activities causing accelerated
erosion

Soil conservation practices:

In order to prevent soil erosion and conserve the soil the following practices are
employed.
1. Conventional till farming:
a. In traditional method the soil is broken up and smoothed to make a planting
surface.
b. This disturbs the soil and makes it susceptible to erosion.
c. Conservational till farming, popularly known as no-till-farming causes
minimum disturbance to the top soil.
 d. Here special tillers break up and loosen the subsurface soil without turning
over the top soil.
e. The tilting machines make slits in the soil and inject seeds, fertilizers, and
little water in the slit, so that crop grows successfully.
2. Contour farming:
a. On gentle slopes, crops are grown in rows across, rather up and down.
b. This practice is knows as contour farming.
c. It helps to hold soil and slow down loss of soil through run-off water.
3. Terracing:
a. It is used on still steeper slopes are converted into a series of broad terraces
which run across the contour.
b. Terracing retains water for crops at all levels and cuts down soil erosion.
4. Strip cropping :
a. Here strops of crops are alternated with strips of soil saving crops like grasses
or grass- legume mixture.
b. What ever run-off comes from the cropped soil is retained by the strip of
cover- crop and this reduces soil erosion.
5. Alley cropping:
a. It is a form of inter – cropping in which crops are planted between rows of
trees or shrubs. This is also called Agro forestry.
b. Even when the crop is harvested, the soil is not fallow because trees and
shrubs still remain on the soil holding the soil particles and prevent soil
erosion.
6. Wind breaks or shelterbelts:
a. The trees are planted in long rows along the cultivated land boundary so that
wind is blocked.
b. The wind speed is substantially reduced which helps in preventing wind
erosion of soil.

What are the effects of mining?Suggest few control measures

Impacts of mining: Mining is done to extract minerals from deep deposits in
soil. Environmental damages caused by mining activities are as follows:

● Devegetation and defacing of lands: Mining requires removal of vegetation along

with underlying soil mantle and overlying rock masses. This results in destruction of
landscape in the area.
● Subsidence of land: Subsidence of mining areas results in tilting of buildings, cracks
in houses, buckling of roads, bending of rail tracks and leaking of gas from cracked
pipe lines leading to serious disasters.
● Groundwater contamination: Mining pollutes the groundwater. Sulphur, usually
present as an impurity in many ores is known to get converted into sulphuric acid
through microbial action, thereby making the water acidic.
● Surface water pollution: The acid mine drainage often contaminates the nearby
streams and lakes. The acidic water, radioactive substances like uranium, heavy
metals also contaminate the water bodies and kill aquatic animals.
● Loss of Aquatic Life
Release of toxic chemicals into the water is obviously harmful for the flora
and fauna of the water bodies. During mining, sometimes mercury enters the
food chain through aquatic animals.
● Cyanide, which is highly poisonous, is used to separate gold from sediment
and rock. If cyanide is released into the environment, it causes the damage
of aquatic life.
● Air pollution: In order to separate and purify the metal from other impurities in the
ore, smelting is done which emits enormous quantities of air pollutants. Oxides of
sulphur, arsenic, cadmium and lead etc. shoot up in the atmosphere near the smelters
and the public suffers from several health problems.
● Occupational Health Hazards: Miners working in different type of mines suffer
from asbestosis, silicosis, black lung disease etc
Spread of Disease: Water-borne diseases are caused due to the stagnant of water in the
pits created during mining
Control/Remedial measures:

● Adopting eco-friendly mining technology

● Utilization of low grade ores by using microbial – leaching technique. In this method,
the ores are inoculated with the desired strains of bacteria like Thiobacillus
ferroxidans, which remove the impurities and leave the pure mineral.
● Re-vegetating mined areas with appropriate plants
● Gradual restoration of flora
● Prevention of toxic drainage discharge.

Case studies
1. Mining and quarrying in Udaipur

 Soap stones, building stone, and dolomite mines spread over 15,000 hectares
in Udaipur have caused many adverse impacts on environment.
 About 150 tones of explosives are used per month in blasting.
 The Maton mines have badly polluted the Ahar river.
 The hills around the mines are suffering from acute soil erosion.
 The waste water flows towards a big tank of " Bag Dara".
 Due to scarcity of water people are compelled to use this effluent for irrigation
purpose.
 The animals like tiger, lion, deer, and birds have disappeared from the mining
area.

2. Mining in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Aravallis

 The Aravalli range is spread over about 692 Km in the North-west India
covering Gujrat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
 The hill is rich in mineral resources.
 Mining operations within and around the Sariska Tiger reserve has left many
areas permanently infertile and barren.
 The precious wild life is under serious threat.
What is over utilization of water resources? What
Due to the growth of human population, there is an increasing need for
larger amount of water to meet the basic needs. The over-utilization of water
occurs at various levels. The problems caused due to the over utilization of
water are as follows:

(i) Decrease of groundwater levels

Due to increased usage of groundwater, the groundwater level decreases.
The over utilization of underground and surface water change our freshwater
ecosystems.
(ii) Subsidence: When ground water withdrawal is more than its recharge rate,
the sediments in the aquifer (a layer of rock that is highly permeable and
contains water) get compacted, a phenomenon knows as ground subsidence.
It results in sinking of overlying land surface. Due to this structural damage
in buildings, fracture in pipes etc., occurs.
(iii) Lowering of water table: Mining of groundwater is done extensively for
irrigating crop fields. However, excessive mining would cause lowering of
water table.

(iv) Intrusion of salt water

In coastal area, over exploitation of groundwater would lead to rapid
intrusion of salt water from the sea. As a result, water cannot be used for
drinking and agriculture purpose.
(v) Water logging
When excessive irrigation is done with brackish water, it raises the water
table gradually leading to water-logging and salinity problems.
(vi) Loss of integrity of freshwater ecosystems
Human activities for infrastructure development like creation of dams,
land conversion, etc., are responsible for this loss of integrity of
freshwater ecosystems. Water quality and quantity, fisheries, habitats,
etc., are at risk due to this loss of integrity.
(vii) Risk to ecosystem functions
Population and consumption growth increases water pollution.
Virtually all ecosystem functions including habitat, production and
regulation functions are at risk.

(viii) Depletion of living resources and biodiversity

Overharvesting and exploitation causes groundwater depletion, collapse
fisheries. Production of food, quality and quantity of water and supply of
water gets badly affected by these depletions of living resources and
biodiversity.
Impacts of overgrazing and
agriculture. Overgrazing:
Overgrazing can limit livestock production. Over grazing occurs when too many
animals graze for too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a grass land area.
Impact of overgrazing:
  Land degradation: Overgrazing removes the grass cover. The humus content of the
soil is decreased and it leads to poor, dry, compacted soil.
 Soil erosion: The soil roots are very good binders of soil. When the grasses are
removed, the soil becomes loose and susceptible to the action of wind and water.
 Loss of useful species: Due to overgrazing the nutritious species like cenchrus,
panicum etc. are replaced by thorny plants like Parthenium, Xanthium etc. These
species do not have a good capacity of binding the soil particles and, therefore, the
soil becomes more prone to soil erosion.

PART C
NARMADA PROJECT OR SARDAR SAROVAR DAM
Purpose of the project
● The sardar sarovar project is one of the largest water resources projects of India
covering four major states - Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The Narmada main canal would be the largest irrigation canal in the world.
● Gravity dam on Narmada river near Navgam, Gujarat. Purpose-hydroelectricity and
irrigation.
● Aim- irrigate more than 18000 sq.km most of it drought prone areas of Kutch and
Saurashtra. Total installed capacity is 1450 MW.The project aims at supplying 3571
MLD of drinking water (2900 MLD for domestic consumption & 671 MLD for
industrial consumption) to 8215 villages and 135 towns in Gujarat. Aim to provide
drinking water facilities to a population of about 13.71 lakh in 1107 villages and two
town in jallore and Barmer districts of Rajasthan.

Benefits of the project

● Potential to feed as many as 20 million people, provide domestic and industrial water
for about 30 million, employ about 1 million
● Provide valuable peak electric power in an area with high unmet power demand
● Dam’s spillway discharging capacity (30.7 lakh cusecs) would be 3rd highest in the
world
(indicates flood discharge of the river)
● With 1133 cumecs (40,000 cusecs) capacity at the head regulator and 532 km length,
the Narmada Main Canal would be the largest irrigation canal in the world
● The project envisages irrigation to 17.92 lakh ha land of Gujarat covering 3360
villages of 62 talukas in 14 districts.
● Tribal area in Maharashtra and the drought-prone areas in Rajasthan will also get
irrigati on benefits.
● The project will generate between 856 to 1007 million units per year of cheap and
eco- friendly indigenous hydro power.
● The project will benefit areas like Bhal affected by high impact of saline soil water.
Benefits to three sanctuaries.
Cost Incurred during Project
Financial cost
● Projected cost: Rs. 6406.04 crores in 1986-87, Actual cost: Rs. 45673.86 crores
('Worki ng Group on Water Resources for the 11th Five Year Plan').Can go up by Rs.
70000 crores by 2012
Human Displacement Cost
● Project cost: Disbursement of land to affected families
● Actual cost: Cash for Land suspended by NCA
Environmental Cost

 Non-reimbursabl e: 13000 hectares forest land and11000 hectares agricultural land

submerged
 Loss of biological and acquatic diversity
Conclusion and Recommendation

● Strongly recommended that dam height should not be raised

● Sky rocketing costs of total project needs to be reviewed
● Rehabilitation to locals and tribal is a major concern.
● Loss due to high waterlogging and land undergoing dam water needs to be verified.
● Environmental damage is high and non reimbursable.

:
CONFLICTS OVER WATER
1. The Cauvery Water dispute
Cauvery, which is locally known as Kaveri, is a large river that flows through the
southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The river has its origin at Talakaveri,
Kodagu in Karnataka and empties itself into the Bay of Bengal through Poompuhar in
Tamilnadu. The river has enjoyed social, economic, political religious and even cultural
importance in the life of people from both the states that are currently fighting over its
water. The Cauvery River has been a source of conflict between the states of Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu for over 124 years. The primary quarrel, in this case, has always been
about the sharing and distribution of water of Cauvery River between the two states.
• Cauvery water is vitally important for both the states as people from Karnataka depend
upon it to satisfy their drinking needs, whereas farmers from Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu
depend upon it for agriculture and livelihood.
• The fight for Cauvery river water become even more important during rainfall deficient
years, as the entire basin delta of the Cauvery River falls under the drought prone area.
Therefore, Cauvery river water is the only source of water in this region.
• As far as water resources are concerned, around 53% of Cauvery water resources fall within
the geographic boundaries of Karnataka, whereas only 30% of water resources fall within the
geographical borders of Tamil Nadu.
• On the other hand, 54% of river basin area (the portion of land drained by the river) lies in
the state of Tamil Nadu, whereas only 42% of Cauvery river basin area is in Karnataka.

The Cauvery water dispute predates the independence of the country and first came into
limelight in 1890’s during the British Raj
The conflict over the Cauvery River Water continued for next decade until in 1924 a major
breakthrough was achieved in the form of a new agreement. The new agreement was
designed on the basis of the historical use of Cauvery river water and the dependency of the
percentage of population from each state. According to the 1892 and the 1924 agreements the
river water is distributed as follows:
• 75 percent to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
• 23 percent to Karnataka
• Remaining to go to Kerala
On June 2,1990, the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal was set up which through an interim
award directed Karnataka to ensure that 205 TMC of water was made available in tamilnadu
mettur dam every year, till the settlement was reached.
In 1991-92 due to good monsoon, there was no dispute as there was good stock of water in
mettur, but in 1995,the situation turned into crisis due to delayed rains and an expert
committee was set up to look into the matter which found that there was a complex cropping
pattern in Cauvery basin.
Proper selection of crop varieties, optimum use of water, better rationing, rational sharing
patterns, and pricing of water are suggested as some measures to solve the problem.

2. The Indus Water Treaty

Indus river originates in the Tibetian plateau in the vicinity of lake Mansarovar,runs
across through the Ladakh region of J&K towards Gilgit- Baltistan & then its flows
southerly
 direction along the entire length of Punjab, Pakistan to merge with Arabian sea near the
port city of Karachi.

It is the longest river of Pakistan and 21st largest river of world in terms of annual flow.

Around two-third of water supplied for irrigation and in homes comes from the Indus and
its associated rivers.

ISSUES :

● Sindh/Indus river is stratigically vital resource for Pakistan.

● After Pakistan and India declared independence the use of the waters and its 5 tributaries
became a major dispute between them.