Water Resources Seen as Key to Afghanistan's Growth, Development

Washington - Afghanistan faces a challenge in managing its water resources at a time when a combination of population growth, increased demand and climate change could lead to severe water shortages in the future, a joint U.S.-Afghan survey says ( http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5262 ).

The need for drinking water in the heavily populated Kabul Basin may increase as much as 600 percent during the next 50 years, causing more than half of the shallow wells in the region to go dry or become unusable, according to a comprehensive study led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ( http://water.usgs.gov/ ).

Water contamination is also an issue in a country where wastewater treatment plants are only in the planning stages.

The survey was conducted in cooperation with the Afghanistan Geological Survey ( http://www.bgs.ac.uk/afghanminerals ) and the Ministry of Energy and Water under an agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"This was a team effort with our Afghan partners - the kind of science diplomacy that builds relationships that can last decades," Matt Larsen, USGS associate director for water, said at a briefing held June 11 at the Afghanistan Embassy in Washington.

MOUNTAINS AND ACQUIFERS

The mountains of the Hindu Kush provide 80 percent of Afghanistan's water, with winter snow melt and runoff from glaciers feeding the country's three major river basins - the Indus, Amu Darya and Helmud. As a result, Afghanistan can suffer from flooding in the spring, but drought and water shortages later in the year.

"Water management may be more a critical problem than water shortages," said Said Jawad, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States. He said that since Afghanistan's rivers flow across national borders, solving the problem of water shortages will require establishing "the reciprocal rights" of the countries in the region, such as Pakistan and Iran.

The resolution of the question of legal rights can lead to more investment in building dams, generating electricity and managing water resources, he added.

The USGS-Afghan survey focused on the 80-kilometer-long Kabul Basin, which includes Kabul City as well as heavily irrigated fields to the north. Existing community wells tap a relatively shallow aquifer that may shrink and ultimately disappear, according to Thomas Mack, lead scientist and chief author of the USGS report.

The report sees several trends converging to cause 60 percent or more of these shallow-water wells to go dry in coming years. Population growth and anticipated increases in per-person water usage are two factors.

Another is climate change. Air temperatures have increased in recent years, resulting in earlier snow melt in the spring and more severe water shortages later in the summer.

Afghanistan suffered from an intense drought from 1999 to 2004, Mack said, although the return of more normal precipitation in recent years has led to a general rise in water levels. Urban areas, however, are still seeing declines in the water table.

The study shows that a much deeper aquifer exists in the Kabul Basin, but its size and accessibility as a sustainable water source have not yet been determined.

DATA AND TRAINING

Researchers collected satellite data and combed through historical records that often have a 20-year gap due to war and ongoing conflict. Afghanistan, for example, maintained 165 stream gauges from 1950 to 1980, which are only now being restored, Mack said. The Afghan Geological Survey has recently installed more than 60 devices to monitor groundwater quality.

The study incorporated information from wide-ranging sources: space imagery, geologic investigation, analyses of surface and underground water, data on climate and precipitation and estimates for water usage by homes, businesses and agriculture.

The Afghan scientists and engineers who worked on the study are now training other professionals and helping expand Afghanistan's capacity to develop its water and other natural resources.

"USGS has been an invaluable asset for bringing advanced technology into Afghanistan and transferring their professional skills to build the capacity of our institutions," Jawad said.

The ambassador commented on another USGS study that calculated the value of huge mineral deposits of copper, gold, iron, cobalt and lithium in Afghanistan. The USGS estimate: more than $1 trillion, although more exploration is needed to confirm how accessible the deposits are.

"Not only identifying, but learning how to best tap Afghanistan's natural riches is a vital step for the economic future of our country," Jawad said.

But there is a catch: developing these mineral resources will require water, and lots of it.