Leveraging the Climate Crisis

The Politicization of Water and the Case for Punjab

Abstract

Water governance in Indian and Pakistani Punjab is generally analyzed through the lenses of security and climate change; however, existing scholarship does not often address how constitutional design impacts sub-national capacity. The central focus of this study explores how Punjab’s ability to manage water security, flood response, infrastructure development, and treaty influence differ across India and Pakistan despite their shared history and ecology. This paper works to advance the research gap and examine the constitutional frameworks and political strategies through which national and sub-national governments negotiate authority across key sectors. In both countries, the distribution of legislative and fiscal powers directly affects Punjab’s capacity to manage irrigation systems, respond to climate-induced flooding, mobilize resources, and shape international water-sharing agreements. Using a comparative analysis of constitutional provisions, intergovernmental institutions, and treaty frameworks, this study demonstrates that water is fundamentally a political issue for the two countries. Indeed, by highlighting federal design, the analysis underscores how institutional structures influence environmental governance and reveals broader implications for democratic accountability and regional equity in the two federal states.