Structural Violence: Case of Water Crisis in Pakistan

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Before theorizing structural violence, Johan Galtung talked about Personal or Direct
Violence. Defining violence he argued that, “Violence is present when human beings
are being influenced so that their actual somatic and mental realizations are below
their potential realizations, or the actual is lesser than the potential”(Galtung, 1969).
By this, he implied that any hindrance, physical or psychological, that forces an
individual to perform below his true potential is in fact violence. In event of direct
Written By: Waseem Iftikhar violence, the actor who commits the act of violence is clearly visible or can be singled
out. In event of structural violence however, which also creates social injustice, it is
hard to apportion the blame on any single individual since the structures or organizations etc. are so arranged as
to create harmful effect. Galtung further argues that although the subject who violates an object may not be
visible directly for pointing finger, nonetheless violence does occur.
 
Development of peace studies in the 20th century has added
paradigms of positive and negative peace. Absence of direct
violence can create a visible calm, Galtung called this negative
peace. To the contrary, positive peace can only be obtained when
both direct as well as structural violence is absent. Development
of these paradigms convinced policy makers to take serious note
of issues such as human rights, environmental concerns as well as
economic well-being. John Burton has called this approach more
inclusive of human needs (Burton, 1993). Movement or
displacement of resources from one region to another and in
process creating shortage of production or depriving more deserving region is also a form of structural violence. A
classic example of one such problem in Pakistan is water and it is one of the most serious issues that needs
immediate policy attention by the government.

As shown in Figure 1, water as a source of conflict has multiple interlinked dimensions. Long term policy vacuum
leads to issues such as floods, energy shortage and contaminated water causing disease and even death. Most of
the conflicts generated by water are thus far latent, simultaneously becoming protracted, demanding immediate
attention.

As per Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India, Pakistan receives water from three western rivers i.e., Indus,
Jhelum and Chenab, whereas India agreed to utilize water from Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Although all these rivers
originate in Indian Occupied Kashmir and India, Indus River Systems gave Pakistan 80.52% (167.2 billion Cubic
meters) of water, while India got 19.48% (40.4 billion Cubic meters) of the total water.
 
Dams and reservoirs can be used to supply drinking water,
generate hydroelectric power, increase the water supply for
irrigation, provide recreational opportunities, and improve
environmental ecology. In past almost 50 years, USA has built
6575 dams, India 4291 dams (planning another 2500 dams by
2025) and China has been able to build more than 22000 dams.
Pakistan in same time has been able to build and operationalize
154 dams (ICOLD). These statistics show great amount of
institutional negligence and lack of consensus on part of policy
makers. One of the structural fallouts of shortage of dams is that
resultantly electricity has to be produced at an exorbitant cost using oil. While it costs Pakistani Rupees 1.02 per
unit for hydropower energy, price goes up to Pakistani Rupees 12.0 per unit when produced through oil operated
power plants. The excessive amount of money paid every year in shape of electric bills by the consumers is more
than the total cost of Kalabagh Dam which has not been built for over two decades due to absence of political
consensus. This economic violence caused by excessive electric bills translates into higher cost of this costly
production and provision of electricity results into increased commodity prices. Resultantly, poor can’t afford to
buy basic necessities of life, which brings this concern to the domain of structural violence. Energy shortage is
shared through load shedding. Long hours of darkness in hospitals cause delay in patients’ treatment resulting in
deaths, hence, the end product of absence of institutional policy is death of a human being for which no visible
subject can be blamed. A survey conducted by three Dutch scientists shows reduced glacial activity causing an 8%
reduction in flow of water in Indus River alone by 2050 and, along with Brahmaputra River, these rivers with less
water are likely to cause food security issues affecting more than 60 million people (Walter W. Immerzeel). Unless
Pakistan creates enhanced storage capacity and actionable plan, it is likely to fall into the category of Water
Scarce nation from Water Stressed nation. An agriculture-based economy cannot sustain itself with current rate of
population growth and diminishing water availability. Topping the list of basic human needs, food insecurity is in
itself violence and needs to be taken care of through structural egalitarianism.

Closely linked to dams is the excessive amount of criticism leading to potential conflict when neighboring
countries build or plan to build dams on water channels with water belonging to Pakistan under the water treaties.
While water is wasted by Pakistan due to structural failures with millions of gallons of useful water ending up in
the Arabian Sea. Afghanistan in connivance with India has planned to build 12 dams on Kabul River with a
combined capacity of 25%; more than one of the major Pakistani dams, Mangla Dam. On the other hand, former
Pakistani Federal Minister for Water and Power, Khawaja Asif criticized India’s plan to construct 53 power projects
and seven dams on rivers dedicated for Pakistan. Water issue has generated conflict both vertically and
horizontally: vertical conflict inside the country due to absence or weakness of policy structures, while horizontally
against the neighbors, who in turn blame Pakistan for not using water optimally for energy production. Structural
violence on issue of water thus seems to cross geographical boundaries besides initiating violence within its own
bounds.

Drinking water in Pakistan is not painting any encouraging picture either. A 2010 study by Pakistan Council of
Research in Water Resources shows that out of the 14000 water sources monitored across Pakistan, 82% were
providing water which is unsafe for human health and only 18% were found fit for consumption resulting in death
of almost 250,000 children every year due to water-borne diseases. This factor was substantiated by another study
 carried out by National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) in 2013, which has given an alarming rate of only
17% households who use desperately needed additional water filtration treatment before drinking water. Absence
of water, a very basic necessity of life (structural violence), is consistently resulting in alarming number of deaths
(direct violence).

Figure 2 above shows a nexus between structural violence and water in Pakistan. As defined by Galtung, six
dimensions of structural violence have been elaborated while on the right side, the issues generated by water and
perpetuated by absence of credible policy and weak structures have been depicted. Implications of structural
violence are applicable to almost every single case of policy failure.
Construction of dams besides eliminating structural violence on the issue will solve Pakistan’s energy problems,
ensure clean drinking water, help in environmental upgradation, assist canal systems and consequently defensive
capability and agricultural growth, prevent water wastage and floods and ensure better relations with neighbors. A
more egalitarian structure of the society is the only solution to resolution of this intractable conflict in Pakistan.
 
The writer is a PhD scholar at National University of Sciences and Technology, Institute of Peace and Conflict
Studies, Centre for International Peace and Stability (CIPS).
E-mail: waseem287pcips@nipcons.nust.edu.pk
 

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