Iran will respond if the Afghan government does not address its concerns over shared water resources, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday. The dams Afghanistan has built on rivers flowing into Iran, particularly the Helmand River, is at the heart of a long-running dispute between the two neighbors.
Helmand river—the longest water course in Afghanistan—rises in the Hindu Kush mountains west of Kabul and empties out into the Hamoun wetlands that straddle the border between the two countries, seeping into the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan and Afghanistan’s Nimruz and Farah provinces.
Zarif, who was in the Majlis to answer lawmakers’ questions about Afghanistan’s failure to release Iran’s fair share of joint water resources, said the matter is high on the agenda and has been pursued through various diplomatic channels, including bilateral talks, IRNA reported.
Protest Notes
The amount of water that Iran has received in recent months is much less than what is enshrined in the Afghan-Iran Helmand River Water Treaty of 1973, he said. “We have sent two protest notes to the Afghan government and also summoned the Afghan ambassador to the Foreign Ministry.”
He added that 16 special sessions have been held so far to settle the controversy surrounding the Helmand River, several committees have been formed and the issue has been a major point of discussion during visits by the two presidents.
Blame on Both Sides
A meeting will be held in Tehran between the senior water officials of the two sides in the near future, Zarif added. Kabul claims building dams on the Helmand River is a top priority for the government. It has also accused Iran of building dams on rivers which flow into Afghanistan, restricting the flow of water in the other direction.
Some experts say neither government can avoid blame for what looks like an increasingly mismanaged resource. The foreign minister noted that Afghanistan has made a commitment to respect Iran’s rights regarding the Helmand River and help study ways to supply the necessary amount of water to the Hamoun wetlands.
The two sides have also agreed to move toward setting up a legal regime for the Hari Rud, another shared resource of water, he added.
Pressure in Other Areas
If all diplomatic options are exhausted, then only one alternative will be left, which is taking “reciprocal measures,” he said.
“This means applying pressure in other areas where Afghanistan needs our assistance,” the minister noted.
“Given the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran has generously helped the people of Afghanistan in several areas over the past 40 years, we expect the country to take Iran’s legitimate and legal demands into consideration.”
However, Zarif said water-related problems facing the country do not merely stem from outside the borders and a comprehensive national plan is needed to address the worsening water crisis.
