WB 2004 - Water Resource Development in Northern Afghanistan and Its Implications for Amu Darya Basin

Type of Report :

World bank Working Paper (No. 36)

Title :

Water Resource Development in Northern Afghanistan and Its Implications for Amu Darya Basin

Author :

Masood Ahmad, Mahwash Wasiq

Year Published :

June 2004

URL :

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Description :

The overall purpose of this report is to gain a greater understanding of Afghanistan’s role in the use and management of the Amu Darya Basin. The development and management of water resources are critically important for the economic development of Afghanistan. This report focuses on the use of water resources from the Amu Darya basin where great gains for the country could be achieved by moderate investments, largely in rehabilitation of existing schemes. At the same time, the Amu Darya River is an international waterway where numerous interests need to be balanced.

The findings of the report illustrate that the current consumption of water from the basin by Afghanistan is very low, and a sharp increase in water use is not probable in the medium term. Moreover, the maximum amount of water that could be consumed by Afghanistan would never be very significant, and efficient use of water resource in the basin as whole and in particular by the lower riparians would more than offset any increased amount used by Afghanistan. Improved water management regimes could also provide for the necessary environmental flows in the basin to revitalize the environment around the Aral Sea.

Clearly, additional work is needed to establish detailed figures for potential needs and use of water by Afghanistan, but we hope this paper provides a useful overview of Afghanistan’s role and interests in water resources management in the Basin.