Afghanistan’s delusional water politics

#Afghanistan‘s aspiration for water politics is evident in its plan to undertake the Qosh Tepa canal project in the northern province of #Balkh.

This project aims to divert a significant amount, up to 10 billion cubic meters annually, from the Amu Darya, a basin already heavily utilized by downstream states #Uzbekistan & #Turkmenistan.

This diversion poses a serious threat to the stability of Uzbekistan. Some Afghan experts draw parallels between the Qosh Tepa Canal & the #Kunar dam project, asserting the latter as an economic-political tool.

Afghans believe that, besides bolstering #Afghanistan economically and achieving self-sufficiency, it serves as a potent political leverage in negotiations.

However, this belief is far from reality. While the Islamic Emirate’s decision to construct the Kunar dam on the Kunar River can be perceived as a unilateral move akin to the Qosh Tepa project, the Kunar dam’s relatively small size ensures it does not jeopardize water flows to #Pakistan.

In fact, the dam’s capacity to regulate water during flood seasons may benefit Pakistan by mitigating downstream flood intensity. Given Afghanistan’s war-torn history and lack of infrastructure or water storage capacity, the pursuit of such large-scale projects as a means to pressure neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan, appears unrealistic. The narrative to undermine Pakistan through the Kunar dam project is deemed nothing more than a delusion.

https://twitter.com/pak_afgaffairs/status/1740266053849198779?s=46