Afghanistan’s transboundary waters: An overview
Abaceen Nasimi*
Afghanistan ranks near the bottom in terms of water storage capacity (CPHD 2011, p.5) despite its substantial water resources (75 billion m3/ year).  Till now, there has been insufficient investment in improving water development and management systems and mechanisms. The ‘lack of reliable hydrological, meteorological, geo-technical and water quality data’ (GoA 2008, p. 6; King and Sturtewagen 2010, p. 3) is another challenge contributing to insufficient hydropower generation infrastructure. Years of conflict and drought have disrupted the Government’s capacity to focus on the issue, leading to the adoption of a donor-driven and project-by project approach for most of the past decade. Inadequate institutional, legislative and policy frameworks render the task of responding to the growing demands for water more difficult. The connection between water resource development and management, on the one hand, and climate change on the other, remain unexplored.

Now, with the change in government in Kabul and the opening of a new chapter in Afghanistan’s history, there are opportunities to make substantial improvements in and to what has become a major stumbling block in the country’s development.  Civil society organisations, the media, academia and the private sector can become the forerunners in facilitating an enabling environment for technical debates, research and co-operation. The international community’s role will be critical in providing technical and financial support to Afghanistan’s transboundary water knowledge-base development, and the initiation of alternative bilateral and regional tracks of negotiation, dialogue and cooperation. As Afghanistan prepares to move forward, the following must be attended to:
• Transboundary water resource development and management;
• Impact of climate change in relation to transboundary water resource development and management;
• Hydro-diplomacy;
• Security in Afghanistan and in the region.

References
CPHD 2011, ‘Afghanistan National Human Development Report 2011-The Forgotten Front:
Water Security and the Crisis in Sanitation’, Centre for Policy and Human Development, Kabul University, Afghanistan,
<http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/Complete%20NHDR%202011%20final.pdf>, accessed 21 November 2014.

GoA 2008, ‘Water Resource Management 1387-1391 (2007/08-2012/13), Volume II, Pillar III Infrastructure’, Government of Afghanistan,
<http://moec.gov.af/Content/files/Water%20Sector%20Strategy%20-%20English.pdf>, accessed 21 November 2014.

King, M. and Sturtewagen, B. 2010, ‘Making the Most of Afghanistan’s River Basins
Opportunities for Regional Cooperation’, February, The East West Institute, New York, USA,
<http://www.ewi.info/sites/default/files/ideas-files/Afghanistan_Water.pdf>, accessed 21 November 2014.
* Dr. Abaceen Nasimi is the Executive Director of Duran Research and Analysis in Kabul, Afghanistan. In addition to his medical degree, he has a Masters degree in International Relations from the Fletcher School of  Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA. He has been active in Afghanistan’s civil society and NGO sectors for the past seven years.