Despite being home to approximately a quarter of the global population, South Asia remains one of the least interconnected regions in the modern world. This lack of regional integration is not only confined to lack of trade, or to restrictions on the movement of people across political borders, but it also impedes cooperation on managing vital natural resources, especially water.
South Asia is home to three major transboundary river basins: the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. These river basins remain an indispensable source of freshwater for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. While India is the upper riparian country for many of the shared rivers within South Asia, much of the Brahmaputra and Indus basins originate in the Chinese controlled territories of Tibet, which adds another layer of complexity in terms of securing cross-border cooperation.
Moreover, most decision-makers in South Asia remain focused on harnessing the potential of transborder rivers to boost agricultural productivity or generate more hydroelectricity, rather than thinking of these freshwater resources as........