The completion and filling of a dam in Afghanistan has raised concerns in Iran as the two neighbouring countries try to make the most of the region's limited water resources.
The Pashdan dam is constructed on Harirud river and could significantly reduce the flow of water to Iran’s eastern province of Khorasan Razavi, where over two million residents depend on the river for drinking water.
Iran faces chronic water shortages, especially during summer. The Pashdan dam and other dams planned on the Afghan section of Harirud river will compound water challenges in Iran’s eastern provinces.
Rasoul Mirayini, a water diplomacy expert told Rouydad24 on Monday: “Although the Pashdan Dam has been filled, with robust diplomacy, the rights of the Iranian people must be secured.”
The dam was built with assistance from an Azerbaijani construction firm. It is Afghanistan’s second major dam on the Harirud in the past decade.
Officials in Kabul say the project is necessary for agriculture. Like many such dams, it would deprive downstream regions in Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan, of essential water.
The 1973 Helmand River Water Treaty guarantees Iran 820 million cubic meters of water annually, but enforcement has been inconsistent.
Iranian officials accuse Afghanistan of unilaterally disrupting water flow with dams like Kamal Khan, completed in 2021. The construction of new dams, they warn, could trigger a deeper crisis in the drought-hit region.
The Helmand River originates in the Hindu Kush mountains and flows westward into Iran, supplying water to wetlands in the Sistan region, including the Hamoun Lake. However, Iran has not consistently received its share of water.
In 1999, the Taliban completely stopped the river’s flow, exacerbating environmental and economic challenges in the region.
The dispute reflects broader challenges of water management in a region plagued by climate change, prolonged drought, and rising demand.
Afghanistan, as an upstream country, argues that its projects are essential for national development. Iran, however, views the disruptions as violations of existing agreements that threaten its eastern provinces’ water security.
The wetlands in Sistan have largely transformed into salt flats, with the once-thriving wildlife now vanished and many local villages abandoned.
In 2019, after nearly two decades of drought, water from the Helmand River reached the Sistan wetlands in southeast Iran, partially reviving the Hamoun-e Hirmand Lake, recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Despite diplomatic engagements, including Iran’s hosting of Taliban delegations, the water dispute has no subsided.