Anurag
It was 326 BC. Alexander stood on the banks of the Jhelum River, known as Hydaspes at that time, and plotted a masterstroke against King Porus of Punjab. Porus was confident that the swollen river would shield him from attack as he waited on the opposite shore with war elephants.
However, under the cover of darkness and storm, Alexander’s troops moved upstream and forded the raging waters. Alexender kept sending troops slowly every night while projecting as if he was waiting for the river to cool down. They caught Porus’s army in a deadly fight at dawn one day. The young Macedonian conqueror snatched victory from Porus’s hands by turning the river into an unexpected ally and wrote his name into history. This little lesson of history shows that rivers have been weaponised to win wars and gain tactical advantages — and today’s times are no different.
The Indus Waters Treaty – Water as leverage in South Asia
Fast forward over two millennia, and the strategic use of rivers is still very much alive. In April 2025, India announced that it would suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. It is a 63-year-old water-sharing pact which, interestingly, survived multiple wars between the arch-enemies, India and Pakistan.