Eng Kabir Hakim Official Blog

  Water Disputes Between Iran and Afghanistan The Helmand is one of Afghanistan’s most important rivers and has been approximately 1,300 km (800 miles), It is the longest river in Afghanistan. Originating from the Koh-e Bābā heights of the Hindu Kush (q.v.) mountain range (about 40 km west of Kabul), the Helmand receives five tributaries—Kajrud (Kudrud), Arḡandāb, Terin, Arḡastān, and Tarnak. Draining the entire southwestern portion of Afghanistan (approx. 100,000 sq. miles), the river moves southwest towards the Persian border, passing through the provinces of Wardak, Oruz-gān, Helmand, and Nimruz. South of Zaranj, the river flows northward, forming the Afghan-Persian border for 55 km before emptying into the Helmand (Sistān) marshlands. The river approaches the border area through the Mārgo Desert (Dašt-e Mārgo), and upon reaching it, splits into two separate waterways. The first, called Helmand (locally also called Daryā-ye Sistān, the Sistān River), flows through the Sistān p...

  Water Situation in Afghanistan: Afghanistan has a significant amount of fresh water, sourced from precipitation in the high mountains of Hindu Kush.  It is estimated that Afghanistan has 75 billion cubic meters of potential water resources, 57 billion cubic meters of surface water, and 18 billion cubic meters is groundwater. Afghanistan has  44 major    rivers flowing and they create five basins.  The country utilizes 35 percent of the total surface water, which comes from five main river basins.  The five river basins which includes:  (1) Amu Darya basin, (2) Helmand, (3) Indus, (4)Northern , and (5) Harirod-murghab.  These major basins align with the major oceans of the world:  Pacific basin,  Atlantic basin,  Indian basin, Arctic basin, and the Southern basin. The water sector of Afghanistan is affected due to continuation war and instability. Despite having  a relatively favorable water endowment and enjoys...