After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India has stopped the water supply of Indus River to Pakistan, after which it has to face drought like situation in many areas. Meanwhile, the Taliban government of Afghanistan has taken a big decision. After this decision, the water crisis in Pakistan may become even more serious.
The Taliban has decided to move ahead with the plan to divert the water of Kunar River towards Nangarhar region. This step can drastically reduce the flow of the river in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. In recent times, there was a lot of tension on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, in which many soldiers of both the countries were killed.
Proposal sent to Taliban’s economic commission
According to a report in Afghanistan Times, in the meeting of the Technical Committee of the Economic Commission of the Prime Minister’s Office, the proposal to divert water from Kunar River to Darunta Dam in Nangarhar was approved after discussion and sent to the Economic Commission for final decision. Once implemented, the project is expected to solve the water shortage affecting many agricultural lands in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, but it will impact water flows into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
What will be the impact of Taliban’s decision on PAK?
The approximately 500 km long Kunar River originates from the Hindu Kush mountain range located in Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. After this it flows southwards into Afghanistan and passes through Kunar and Nangarhar provinces and joins the Kabul River. The river is one of the largest rivers flowing in Pakistan and, like the Indus River, is a major source of irrigation, drinking water and hydropower generation, especially for the remote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region which has been the epicenter of cross-border violence.
If Afghanistan builds a dam on the Kunar River, it is likely to severely impact Pakistan’s access to water for irrigation, drinking water supply and hydroelectric projects, especially those already struggling with drought due to India restricting water supplies from the Indus River.
No agreement between Pak-Taliban
More importantly, unlike the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Delhi, Islamabad has no agreement with Kabul on the sharing of these waters, meaning there is no immediate way to force the Taliban to withdraw. This move by Taliban has increased the possibility of re-ignition of Pakistan-Afghanistan violence.
