Taliban blame drought for cuts in water supplies to Iran

The Taliban have explained the reduction in water supplies to Iran by drought, Report informs referring to Interfax.

The topic was discussed during a meeting between Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Iranian president’s special representative, Ambassador to Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Qomi.

“We are committed to the water agreements signed between Afghanistan and Iran, but the amount of water has decreased due to drought and lack of rain. I hope that this problem will be solved with an increase in rainfall,” Muttaqi said.

In turn, Qomi said that, given the importance of the agreement reached between the countries, efforts should be made to manage water in such a way that it is not wasted, and Iran receive its due right.

According to experts, the water problems between Iran and Afghanistan are a consequence of the demarcation of the border between the two countries at different historical stages. Over the past 150 years, four agreements have been signed between Iran and Afghanistan on the use of the waters of the border rivers, but they have not been fully implemented. As a result, the parties accused each other of failing to fulfill their commitments.

According to expert data, Afghanistan’s water resources amount to 70 billion cubic meters per year. Only 20% of it is used for the needs of the country, 80% goes to Iran, Pakistan and Central Asia. In recent decades, Afghanistan has built several large reservoirs and dams on the Helmand River, which is the cause of disputes between Iran and Afghanistan over the water issue.