Pakistan Aims for Water Treaty with Afghanistan

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Pakistan Aims for Water Treaty with Afghanistan

Pakistan is about to start talks with Afghanistan to secure a bilateral treaty for the use of water related to Kabul River.

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Well-placed sources told The Nation that efforts are underway to frame a draft to take up with Kabul to secure the treaty at the earliest.

The move apparently comes after recent statements by Indian leaders that New Delhi wants to gift a water reservoir to Kabul over the river as a token of friendship with Afghanistan.

The sources maintained that Pakistan wants to secure the bilateral treaty to prevent any future water dispute with the brotherly western neighbour, and in order to address Afghanistan’s concern over Pakistan’s using water of Kabul River without any formal accord.

The draft of the treaty also includes the use of Pakistani waters from Chitral and adjoining areas which eventually make Kunar-Chitral River as one of major water distributaries of the Kabul River.

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Kabul River, Source: University of Omaha

According to the sources, Pakistan believes that Afghanistan was using some of its waters from Chitral and its adjoining areas that end up into Kunar-Chitral River which was the main source of water in the Kabul River.

According to the sources, the PTI government in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was of the view that Afghanistan was also using waters from Swat River. However, it could not be confirmed immediately from the PTI spokesperson.

Most of the seven rivers that Pakistan and Afghanistan share rise in Afghanistan. River Kabul – which later joins the Indus River – is one of the most developed rivers and a potential source of hydropower for both countries.

Some 23 percent of the Afghan population, more than 7 million people, lives in the Kabul basin. On the Pakistani side of the basin, the river is a vital source of irrigation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

For more details see: The Nation

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