Will the Taliban control Pakistan’s waters by building a dam on the Kunar River in Afghanistan? Like India’s Indus water policy, this move could give rise to new water conflicts and serious crises in the region.
Afghanistan Pakistan River Water Tension: This week, Afghanistan has taken a big decision to give a huge blow to Pakistan on the lines of India. Maulvi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, ordered that a dam be built on the Kunar River as soon as possible. This is the same step that India took by suspending the Indus Water Agreement after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The Taliban say Afghans have every right to manage their own water.
Kunar River: Will Pakistan struggle for water?
The Kunar River flows through both Pakistan and Afghanistan. It originates in the Hindu Kush mountains of Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and flows through the Kunar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan to join the Kabul River. Later this water reaches Indus River in Punjab province of Pakistan. If Taliban builds a dam here, it may become difficult for Pakistan’s fields and people to get water.
Experts say that this move by Afghanistan can increase water crisis and tension in the region, as there is no international agreement like Indus Water Treaty between Delhi and Islamabad.
Is Taliban playing a gamble for water security?
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they have been consolidating their control over the rivers and canals of the country. By building dams and canals they want to meet their food security and energy needs. An example of this is the Kosh Tepa Canal being built in northern Afghanistan, which is 285 km long and has the capacity to make more than 550,000 hectares of land cultivable.
Experts have warned that the canal could divert 21 to 22 percent of the water from other rivers like the Amu Darya, affecting already water-scarce countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Can India-Afghan rapprochement become a threat to Pakistan?
Last week, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki visited India and appreciated the help in dam construction in Herat province. Both countries agreed to cooperate in sustainable water management and hydroelectric projects.