Negotiations with Afghan officials to release Iran’s fair share of joint water resources has been a dismal failure and a change of policy and a stronger political leverage is needed to force them respect international laws, , head of the sustainable development, Water and Environment Commission of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture said.
“Afghan water officials’ claims about the technical impossibility of diverting water to Iran border areas are unfounded and ridiculous,” Farshid Kadkhodaei was quoted as saying by ILNA.
Iranian water authorities have checked all waterways in the neighboring nation and have dismissed Afghans’ untrue allegations about technical issues and the absence of suitable routes to release Iran’s fair share of joint water resources, he noted.
Such nonsense is not tolerable anymore, he added, noting that it is very unlikely that Afghans agree to transfer water to Iran through diplomatic channels and a different policy is needed to put them under pressure.
“Since 20 years ago, Iran has not received any of its fair share of water from Hirmand (known as Helmand in Afghanistan) River as per an agreement it had signed with Afghanistan in 1973.”
The neighboring state has kept disrespecting Iran’s legal water rights on the pretext of technical and security issues, but the fact of the matter is that they are determined not to give Iran’s rights.
“The longer Iran receives its water share, the vaster areas in Sistan-Baluchestan Province will turn into barren desert and more residents will have to abandon their homeland as the region has long been suffering from water paucity.”
Iran is suffering severe water shortages in southeastern regions bordering Afghanistan. A big part of the problem is linked directly the Kabul’s breach of the 1973 agreement.
“The result has been that in the past two decades, the part of Hirmand River inside Iran is dry for almost 10 months a year,” he said.
Following regular meetings in Tehran and Kabul since 2005 regarding Iran's water rights from the border river, the Afghan side has always agreed to release Iran’s water share.
Lip Service
“Nonetheless, so far all we've gotten from them is lip service and nothing more.”
Put it simply, negotiations have failed and a stronger political leverage is required to make them understand that Iran will safeguard its legal rights.
“If Iranian officials do not use their political clout, Afghans will continue the unacceptable approach and force Iran to swap its oil for water.”
According to Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian, Afghan officials made a pledge on August 13, 2022, not to divert the river’s water to saltpans, including Gowd-i Zerrah and let the water flow toward Iran’s borders, yet nothing has happened.
“The water that is expected to be channeled to Iran is diverted into Afghan saltpans instead of the river delta’s wetlands where Helmand ends.”
This is not the first time Afghans break their promises that is why holding talks with them is nothing but to beat the air.
"Actions speak louder than words in this case and negotiations will bear no fruits,” Kadkhodaei said.
Based on international water laws, Afghanistan should not deprive Iranian wetlands of water as it is a vital resource for the local population, but it seems as if they neither understand rules nor want to comply with them.
Sistan-Baluchestan is the second largest province of Iran, bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Water Shortages
The region has been struggling with severe water shortages for two decades, as rainfall averages a meager 105 mm.
More than 50% of the people of the province live in rural areas. But that is fast changing, as they are abandoning their homes and villages, and moving to other parts of the country in search of work and a better life.
In January 2016, during a visit to Tehran, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and his Iranian counterpart issued a memorandum expressing concerns about the ecosystem of Gowd-i Zerrah, the lowest part of Sistan Basin and Hamoun and agreed that experts from both countries should look into the issue.
Helmand is the longest river in Afghanistan, constituting over 40% of Afghanistan’s surface water. With 95% of the river located in Afghanistan, it is a source of livelihood for the country’s southern and southwestern provinces. This has made Helmand a national issue that seems to have become increasingly difficult for any Afghan government to resolve.
For Iran, Helmand water is also becoming a national issue. In fact, all of Iran’s post-1979 governments have maintained the same basic position on the dispute with Afghanistan over water.
Water is a regional issue with international implications, as it directly relates to regional security. While the problem is fundamentally of a technical nature, politicization of the problem can complicate the situation.
It is vital that both Iran and Afghanistan communicate at the level of political leaders, as well as in scientific, academic and civil institutions.
The countries’ leaders should understand that the problems of Helmand River and Hamoun lakes are not purely domestic issues, but a regional challenge that can only be resolved collectively.
