Iran-Taliban Water Conflict

June 3, 2023

Context:

Iran and Afghanistan are locked in a long-standing dispute over the sharing of water from the Helmand River. Clashes broke out recently along the border.

Conflict:

The clash came amid an escalating dispute between Kabul and Tehran over the Helmand River, which is a vital source of water for both sides, supporting agriculture, livelihoods and ecosystems in the region.
Afghanistan and Iran have been at loggerheads over the sharing of river water for over a century.
Afghanistan and Iran signed an agreement — the Helmand River Treaty in 1973 to regulate the allocation of river water.
But the accord was neither ratified nor fully implemented, causing disagreements and tensions to persist.

Helmand river

The Helmand is Afghanistan’s longest river.
It originates near Kabul in the western Hindu Kush mountain range and flows in a southwesterly direction through desert areas for a total of about 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) before emptying into Lake Hamun, which straddles the Afghanistan-Iran border.

Lake Hamun

It is the largest freshwater lake in Iran.
It used to be one of the world’s largest wetlands, straddling 4,000 square kilometers (1,600 square miles) between Iran and Afghanistan, fed by the Helmand.

News Source: Indian Express