INDIA-NEPAL WATER TREATIES: EQUITABLE RIGHTS OR POWER POLITICS?

Abstract

This chapter discusses India-Nepal water relations, defines the problem and highlights its significance, presents the research questions and proposes major hypotheses to be explored in this study. This chapter also gives a detailed review of literature available in the area of water relations between India and Nepal discussing the prevailing three broad streams of opinion, which take confrontational, cooperative and neutral approaches. Besides, this chapter also mentions the theoretical frameworks applied in this research which include International Law, Power Politics of Realism and Dependency. The research methodologies used in the research are document analysis, elite interview, surveys and field visits. Finally, this chapter gives a brief account of the organisation of the study.