Hydronarratives: The Confluence of Water and Environmental Justice

Causes of the Afghanistan Water Crisis

Issue #1

The first issue for the water crisis is the climate that surrounds the country. The climate has been in a state of struggle for many years due to the decrease in rainfall and the mountainous landscape that surrounds Afghanistan. Due to Afghanistan being a naturally dry country, they are at a much higher risk of facing a drought. The temperature has also been steadily increasing and it has increased by .6 degrees celsius from 1960 to 2008. As the temperature rises, the amount of agriculture continues to decrease. This relationship is dangerous because of how much the population relies on farming for food and food security. The climate is arid which means that it is prone to no vegetation and it has little to no rain (Dictionary.com). This barren land means that the ground is not prone to farming and this leads to famishes and an intense decrease in food being produced. With less and less food being produced, people have to continue moving around and this leads to a lot of displacement.

Issue #2

The next issue that has caused the water crisis to be prolonged is the Taliban moving in and taking over the government and affecting the irrigation systems that are in place for droughts. When the Taliban moved in and started conflicts with the government, they also violated a treaty with Iran surrounding sharing the water that was on the border between the two countries. The Talian began to cause conflicts with Iran and this has been ongoing as both countries struggle to take control of the irrigation that spans the border. The Helmut Basin is where a lot of the water and irrigation comes from for the Afghans, they have also agreed to share a portion of the water with their neighbors, the Irans. Due to the immense drought and the constant struggle for control, the Afghans have sent less and less water to the Irans and they are blaming the Taliban for this lack of partnership. The tension between the two countries has fallen on years of immense drought and this is no different. The droughts have caused the basin to not be as full as it normally is and this has caused them to send less and less water to the Irans. The Taliban have been at the forefront of this and they have been noted to be the cause of less water being sent.

Issue #3

The third reason for the water crisis is the ongoing fight between Afghanistan and Iran due to the struggle for control over the water supply. The struggle between the two countries has been brewing for many years as they fight for control over the Helmand River. The river stretches across Afghanistan and about seven million people live there and rely on the river for constant water and agriculture. The river allows them to farm and this is a way of life for them, it gives them food and it gives them a constant source of income. The struggle is that Afghanistan promised Iran use of the river but as time has gone on, and there have been more and more droughts, they have cut back on how much water the Irans can have access to. They began to build dams in the river and this took Iran's access away.

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