Afghanistan is a landlocked country faced with an unstable economy and severely constrained resources. However, the country has sufficient water reserves which could be used to irrigate land, bolster agricultural production, feed its population, and produce electricity. But, the potential of these water reserves remains untapped, and much of the water is flowing into neighboring countries.
Afghanistan’s water resources are estimated at about 75 billion cubic meters, of which only 25 to 30 percent is used inside the country with more than 70 percent flowing into neighboring countries.
In an interview with www.bamdad.af, Shujauddin Ziaee, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW), explains that from the country’s existing water reserves, about 20 billion cubic meters come from underground water sources and the remaining 55 billion is surface water. “For instance, the Ammo River has 22 billion cubic meters of water, the Kabul River and its tributaries have 21 billion cubic meters of water and the Helmand River has 9 billion cubic meters of water,” he said.
According to the MoEW, approximately 20 to 22 billion cubic meters of water is used inside the country and more than 53 billion cubic meters of water flows into neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s agricultural industry suffers from a lack of proper irrigation systems and water shortages. The lack of water and a decline in agricultural production have forced rural residents to abandon their farms and resettle in towns or big cities. As a result, problems such as unemployment, poverty, food insecurity, and unsustainable urban growth have risen in recent years.
Analysts believe that proper management of water resources would pave the way for economic growth and improving people’s living conditions. “Globally, approximately one dollar is paid for each cubic meter of drinking water,” said Sayeed Masoud, a lecturer with Kabul University’s Faculty of Economics. “Afghanistan will earn more than 50 billion dollars every year if it is able to receive revenue from neighboring countries for its water.”
Afghanistan has plenty of arable land in the north, east and west, which has remained uncultivated because of poor irrigation systems. Though Afghanistan’s land is able to produce enough food for its population, substantial sums of money are invested to import foods from neighboring countries, mostly into Iran and Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s water resources are estimated at about 75 billion cubic meters, of which only 25 to 30 percent is used inside the country with more than 70 percent flowing into neighboring countries.
Analysts point to the Kamal Khan Dam located in western Helmand Province as an example of the potential benefits of investing in the country’s irrigation systems. “Once the Kamal Khan Dam is constructed, it can irrigate 100,000 hectares of cultivable land in Gung District of Helmand Province,” said Zaiyee.
The contract to build the Kamal Khan Dam was signed with the former Czechoslovakia Republic under the administration of President Daud Khan (1973 – 1978) at a total cost of US$ 33 million. But, the dam’s construction was never finished due to the country’s political changes.
The Salma Dam project in western Afghanistan may offer similar benefits for strengthening the country’s irrigation system. Its construction started after the fall of the Taliban with India’s financial support, but remains incomplete because of security constraints. Reportedly, it has the capacity for storing five hundred million cubic meters of water, which can irrigate enough agricultural land to feed the local population.
Ziaee says that Salma Dam can irrigate 70,000 hectares of land and will produce the electricity required for Herat city; electricity which is now provided from Iran and Turkmenistan.
Much of the arable land in northern Afghanistan is not irrigated. Nonetheless, water from Kabul River and its tributaries, including Panjshir, Alishing, Alingar, Kunar and other rivers flow into Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
