2007 Volume 2 Issue 1 Pages 51-58
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia having arid and semi-arid climates with precipitation from 75 mm per year in the plain area to 1,170 mm in the highland area. Forests cover only 2% of the country and deforestation is progressing rapidly. If precautionary measures are not taken in 15 years the country will have little forest. To measure natural resources of the country, the government established 31 stations to collect meteorological information and 140 stations to record water conditions in different locations of the country. Out of 140 water stations, 40 were selected for sediment transport measurement.
Water is a precious material for human beings with different uses such as for domestic use, industrial use and agricultural production is increasing. Water utilization in Afghanistan is mostly for agriculture and approximately 85% of the country's crops are produced under irrigation systems. Irrigation systems in Afghanistan use mostly traditional methods and distribute water in traditional ways throughout the country with 84.6% of irrigation water being tapped from rivers. Water from springs and Karezes make up 7.9% and 7% of irrigation water, respectively. A small amount (0.5%) of water is tapped from Arhats (dug wells).
Due to 25 years conflict in Afghanistan all infrastructures including irrigation related structures have been damaged or completely destroyed. Since 1980 there is no information about water resources in the country. On the other side the country has suffered from continuous drought for the last six years. Ground water levels have dropped considerably and affected Karezes to be dry or have reduced water. All reports related to water resources have been lost during the 25 years of conflict.
After the new government was elected in 2001, the government gave first priorities to security and communication system of the country and rebuilt 2,500km of pre-war paved highways. Less work on rehabilitation of natural resources has been done so far. As per reports prepared by FAO and the Ministry of Water and Power under the Afghan government, the total annual [DT1] precipitation in the country is 180,000 million m3 (150,000 million m3 from snow and 30,000 million m3 from rain). Meanwhile the total discharge of all rivers is 84,000 million m3 (47%) of the total precipitation in the country.
A total of 12% of the land in the country is arable, whereas only 50% of this area is irrigated per year due to shortages of water for irrigation and the other 50% will be irrigated next year. Out of total discharge produced in the country, only 55,000 million m3 (65%) is used within the country. The remaining leaves the country. According to a Ministry of Water and Power report, a total of 2,000 million M3 is used for domestic water supply.
There are a limited number of reservoirs to store water for irrigation and power generation. The government must develop a long-term strategy to manage water resources and reduce the effects of drought on agriculture. The strategy should focus on increasing water capital and making better use of water. The strategy should include (i) water harvesting and watershed management, more water reservoirs (small and large), (ii) effective control of ground water utilization, (iii) better information system on water availability, (iv) elimination of unsustainable land use practices, (v) improved intake structures and corresponding on-farm water management, (vi) management transfer of state owned schemes, (vii) extension of the irrigated command area. The geographical situation in the country is where water is available there is not enough land for irrigation and where land is available there is no water to fulfill the irrigation requirements.
