NSA Ajit Doval calls for transparency in sharing information on shared cross-border water resources

Johannesburg: National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has made a strong pitch for transparency in sharing information on shared cross-border water resources and asserted that the weaponisation and politicisation of water needed to be countered.

Addressing a meeting on National Security Advisers (NSAs) of BRICS nations here on Tuesday, Doval mentioned certain instances of weaponisation of water and called for the need for complete transparency and unhindered information sharing with respect to shared cross-border water resources.

A number of policymakers have voiced concern over numerous dams built by China on major rivers such as the Mekong, Ganges, Yangtze, Indus and Irrawaddy which are economic lifelines of South and Southeast Asian countries.

Doval said water security was a major global issue and its prudent usage and conservation was a shared responsibility.

The politicisation of water needs to be countered, he said.

China stopped sharing hydrological data regarding rivers flowing into India in 2017 and resumed the process a year later.

The BRICS bloc comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.