Transboundary cooperation a potential route to sustainable development in the Indus basin

• Main Authors: Awais, M. (Author), Byers, E. (Author), Djilali, N. (Author), Ilyas, A. (Author), Magnuszewski, P. (Author), Muhammad, A. (Author), Parkinson, S. (Author), Riahi, K. (Author), Rowe, A. (Author), Siddiqi, A. (Author), Vinca, A. (Author), Willaarts, B. (Author), Yogeswaran, N. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Research 2021
• Subjects: Access to resources; Collaborative policy; Cost reduction; Cultivation; Downstream region; Economics; Energy security; Environmental protection; Food production; Indus river basin; International cooperation; Investments; Planning; Potential benefits; River pollution; Rivers; Soil pollution; Sustainable development; Trans-boundary; Upstream region
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher
• ISBN: 23989629 (ISSN)
• DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-00654-7

With a rapidly growing population of 250 million, the Indus river basin in South Asia is one of the most intensively cultivated regions on Earth, highly water stressed and lacking energy security. Yet, most studies advising sustainable development policy have lacked multi-sectoral and cross-country perspectives. Here we show how the countries in the Indus basin could lower costs for development and reduce soil pollution and water stress by cooperating on water resources and electricity and food production. According to this analysis, Indus basin countries need to increase investments to US