Inter-State River Water Disputes

Why it matters

• Challenges the principles of cooperative federalism by creating friction between state governments over resource management.
• Impacts agricultural productivity and drinking water security in riparian states reliant on shared river basins.
• Necessitates the intervention of specialized quasi-judicial tribunals to resolve complex hydrological and legal disagreements.
• Highlights the tension between state-level developmental priorities and the national need for integrated water resource management.

How it is asked

Focus on the constitutional provisions under Article 262, the role of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, the limitations of existing tribunal mechanisms, and the shift toward permanent adjudication bodies for faster dispute resolution.