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Afghanistan water sources use by neighboring countries

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The fears of a security breakdown in Afghanistan boil the larger possibility of an economic collapse. The country’s revenues seem abysmal, and the mismanagement of billions of dollars in aid has turned it entirely dependent on foreign donations and the presence of foreign troops.

With Afghanistan being largely an agricultural country, investment in the water sector should have been a natural priority for sustainable economic development. Yet, that is not the case. In the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, a framework for allocating international aid, water does not figure as a core development sector. Only 5 percent of development has gone into the water sector during the past decade.

The Ministry of Water and Energy says that Afghanistan water resources reaches to 57 billion cubic meters which the most parts of it use by neighboring countries.

Along the Afghanistan’s borders, villagers see their water flow into the neighboring countries without being able to use it for their own local fields. The scarcity of water has led to tensions between tribes and villages.

The ministry if water declared that the continuation of insecurity caused Afghanistan fails to effectively use its water from the construction of dams and other projects.

Officials in the ministry noted that the residents of the country must cooperate with the government in providing the security of water and electricity projects.

“The construction of dams takes long time and in some cases the works have not been done properly and on time. In addition, the main problem is insecurity that cause the projects face a deadlock,” Ali Ahmad Osmani, minister of Water and Energy said.

One of Afghanistan’s missed opportunities in the last decade was its failure to legislate a comprehensive water law. Existing law does not define water rights.

Land owners are also owners of water and landless farmers have no rights to water. The water management institutions are highly ineffective.

The lack of a database of natural resources and the limited ability of the government to collect data is another challenge and a major obstacle to planning and development.

Afghanistan has a population of 29 million, with 79% of the population living in rural areas. Only 27% of its population has access to improved water sources, and it goes down to 20% in rural areas, the lowest percentage in the world.

The numbers get even worse when you look at the percentage of people with access to improved sanitation facilities. With the numbers at 5% nationwide, and only 1% in rural areas, Afghanistan again ranks the worst in the world.

In Kabul, the capital, with a population of 6 million, 80% of the people lack access to safe drinking water, and 95% lack access to improved sanitation facilities.

Analysts say that reaching the safe driniking water is another challenges of Afghanistan residents which the people are suffering from.

Water is a collective issue for Afghanistan and its neighbors. Any solution should therefore be multinational. Nations involved in Afghanistan, in particular US-led forces, should avoid politicizing this problem as it is so vital to the future of Afghanistan and the region as a whole.

Investment decisions should be based not on efforts to deprive neighboring countries of water but on avoiding waste and improving utilization of resources.

Without regional cooperation, Afghanistan will be faced with deeper and unresolvable challenges that will be even more difficult to solve after most international forces leave in 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

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IEA PM extends congratulation to Syrian interim president

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Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, sent a congratulatory message to Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, for assuming the position of the presidency,” Office of the President of Syria said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement stated that Mullah Hassan, in this congratulatory message, wished Ahmed al-Sharaa success in overcoming challenges and achieving the goals and hopes of the Syrian people.

Hassan Akhund expressed hope that the fraternal relations between Afghanistan and Syria would be strengthened and solidified to benefit both nations,” the statement read.

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8 last year, the position of president became vacant.

However, the duties of the head of state were conducted by a transitional government led by Mohammed al-Bashir in the role of prime minister.

On January 29, during the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference in Damascus, the Syrian General Command appointed Ahmed al-Sharaa as president for the transitional period after he had served as the de facto leader following the fall of the Assad regime.

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Tehran says Iran-Afghanistan water rights issue ‘unresolved’

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has rejected claims that the water rights dispute between Iran and Afghanistan was resolved in recent talks with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Monday, Baghaei rejected the statements made earlier by Ali Reza Bigdeli, the acting head of the Iranian Embassy to Kabul, who had claimed that the water rights issue between the two countries had been resolved.

“We are certainly taking these technical matters into consideration. What has been attributed to our ambassador in Kabul is not accurate,” Baghaei said, adding that Iran will continue its efforts to secure its water rights.

Meanwhile, experts say Afghanistan and Iran have a treaty regarding water rights and adherence to it would resolve the issue.

“Until we understand the climatic conditions and based on that, seek our interests within the framework of the Helmand Water Treaty, I think we are moving further away from an understanding,” said Najibullah Sadeed, a water affairs expert.

Ali Reza Bigdeli during ongoing political and economic consultations discussed trade, transportation, health, and political cooperation issues with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate has not yet reacted to these statements, but it has stated on multiple occasions that Afghanistan is committed to meeting its obligations if water is available.

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World Bank reports Afghanistan’s economic recovery remains ‘fragile’

The World Bank report revealed that Afghanistan’s trade deficit surged by 54 percent in 2024, reaching $9 billion, which represents 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

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In their January Economic Monitor report, the World Bank noted Monday that while Afghanistan’s economic growth in 2023-24 was a positive development, growth remained insufficient to significantly improve social indicators.

“High poverty, unemployment, limited resources, and weak purchasing power continue to leave millions vulnerable,” the report stated adding that the outlook remains fragile due to policy uncertainty, financial isolation, and inadequate human and
physical capital.

“A rapid decline in foreign aid could further weaken aggregate demand, exacerbating economic pressures,” the World Bank stated.

The World Bank report revealed that Afghanistan’s trade deficit surged by 54 percent in 2024, reaching $9 billion, which represents 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The report attributes this decline to a five percent drop in exports, totaling $1.8 billion, primarily due to a reduction in coal and textile exports.

“Coal exports saw the steepest decline, plunging 64 percent to $92 million as Pakistan shifted to its traditional suppliers,” stated the World Bank.

The report highlighted an 11.5 percent increase in Afghanistan’s revenue collection, primarily driven by non-tax revenue and taxes levied at the country’s borders.

“Revenue collection remained strong in the first ten months of FY2024-25 (March 22, 2024 – January 21, 2025), totaling AFN 190.5 billion ($2.5 billion), or 12 percent of annual GDP,” stated the report.

The report also noted the country’s central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank, suspended US dollar auctions from September 4 to December 9 last year, which contributed to the depreciation of the afghani (AFN). The auctions resumed in January 2025, with the bank injecting more than $100 million.

The World Bank noted that fragile trade relations with Pakistan pushed Afghanistan to diversify its export markets, with Iran, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan each contributing around three percent of total exports.

However, Pakistan remains the largest export destination, accounting for 45 percent, followed by India at 34 percent.

“Afghanistan’s export base remains heavily dependent on food and coal, which made up 60 percent of total exports in 2024, down from 80 percent in 2023,” the report read adding that “this
highlights the urgent need for Afghanistan to expand its export portfolio and reduce reliance on a few commodities and markets”.

The World Bank stated that domestic tax revenue meanwhile grew 11 percent to AFN 72.1 billion, contributing 2.8 percentage points to overall revenue growth.

Non-tax revenue increased by 22 percent to AFN 66 billion. This growth was driven by higher income from mining, tolls, vehicle registrations, passport issuance, transport services, railways, and telecommunications, the report read.

“Ministries responsible for non-tax revenue exceeded targets by eight percent, contributing 45 percent to inland revenue collection,” the World Bank stated.

Customs duties and fees grew 20 percent year-on-year to AFN 51.5 billion, contributing 4.5 percentage points to total revenue growth. This increase was fueled by higher imports, stronger trade ties with Iran and Central Asia, improved border management, and recent tariff adjustments.

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