The Helmand Water Dispute: An Unresolved Issue Between Iran and Afghanistan

Shahin Bashiri - The issue of the Helmand River water, which flows from Afghanistan into Iran, has once again made headlines. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), a member of the Helmand River Water Commission stated that the Hamoun Wetland cannot be filled with a few days of flooding, claiming that Afghanistan has been misrepresenting its uncontrollable floods as Iran's water rights for the past 16 years. Ahmad Aghabeteh-Bakhsh emphasized that according to the monthly tables of the treaty, Afghanistan must release water from the Kajaki Dam, but this country has been sending uncontrollable floods from the Arghandab basin, which are unrelated to the Kajaki Dam and the treaty, to Iran. The issue of the Helmand River water is one that has persisted for several decades since the agreement between Iran and Afghanistan was established. Bijan Golshaiyan, an expert in international water issues who has been following the Helmand River water matters, told Radio Farda about the agreement made before the Iranian Revolution with Afghanistan: 'There has always been a dispute regarding the Helmand River, which originates in Afghanistan and flows into our Sistan and Baluchestan. Eventually, during the time of Prime Minister Hoveyda, when Iran had a high political standing, an agreement was made with Afghanistan to secure water rights from the Helmand. Keep in mind that the Helmand is a permanent river, not a seasonal one. Therefore, there is always water flowing in it. If there is less rainfall one year, a smaller share will flow into Iran, and if there is more rainfall another year, a larger share will enter Iran. This agreement was made and implemented for several years in the past. One of the provisions of this agreement was that Afghanistan should not create more water facilities, such as dams and smaller diversion dams, on its territory, which would delay and reduce the water flow. This was implemented in the past. However, after the Iranian Revolution and various disputes, attention to Sistan diminished, and less water has been flowing, meaning that Iran's water rights are not being fulfilled as they should be.' Ahmad Aghabeteh-Bakhsh also stated that the floods released from Afghanistan usually arrive in Iran as a floodplain and are gone after two or three days. He noted that sometimes these floods even damage irrigation systems within Iran. He added that according to the water division treaty of the Helmand River, the water rights should flow continuously throughout the year. This means that at no moment should the water flow be interrupted. However, in recent years, only these floods have entered Iran for one or two months of the year. Given that Iran believes Afghanistan has acted contrary to the treaty between the two countries, is there a possibility for Iran to pursue this matter through international bodies, and will Iran achieve success? Bijan Golshaiyan commented on this, saying: 'Border waters and legal issues regarding border waters are somewhat gray. They are not black and white. Since the source of the water is in another country, there is always some dispute. However, when a contract is made, it should be upheld. Iran can certainly file a complaint. This is a lengthy and time-consuming matter. They must negotiate with Afghanistan and examine what Iran's share of this water will be. They should resolve the issue more regionally rather than dragging it to international arbitration.' Ahmad Aghabeteh-Bakhsh also mentioned that the last negotiations with Afghan officials date back to 2013, and a team from Afghanistan was supposed to come to Iran for discussions regarding water at the end of last year, but unfortunately, this group did not come to Iran.