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http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/afghans-react-iranian-president’s-comments-dam-projects
Members of civil society and residents of different provinces urged government to manage Afghanistan’s waters and implement more dam projects in the country.
A number of civil society activists and residents of different provinces from different parts of the country have reacted to the recent comments made by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on dam projects in Afghanistan.
The activists called on Tehran to respect the rights and freedom of the people of Afghanistan.
They asked the Afghan government to seal agreements on all waters which flow to Iran in order to prevent possible tension between the two countries.
“The remarks (by the Iranian president) show that Iran is not paying respect to the (Helmand River) agreement. Their demands are a lot,” said Rahmatullah Zaland, member of Paktia associations.
“National projects have positive impacts on Afghans’ lives wherever they are. We support these projects,” said Zia-ul-Haq Fazli, a resident of Paktia.
Kabul residents also reacted to the matter.
“Waters are ours. The dams which are built are ours. We call on neighboring countries not to interfere in these matters,” said Fardin, a resident of Kabul.
“We can improve agriculture through building more dams. We can improve the economy and generate more jobs,” said Abdul Mubin, a resident of Kabul.
Economic affairs analysts said the remarks by Rouhani could be considered as a violation of the Helmand River Treaty – signed between Afghanistan and Iran in 1970.
“Water is the biggest honor for the people of Afghanistan. No country has the right to interfere in this respect. It is the right of Afghans and they are free to manage the waters in the way that they want,” said Nabi Sadat, an economic affairs analyst.
This comes after the Iranian president criticized Afghanistan’s dam project at a conference on sandstorms in Tehran on Monday Rouhani said: “We cannot remain silent about the thing which is apparently damaging our environment. Establishment of several dams in Afghanistan such as Kajaki, Kamal Khan and Salma in the north and south of Afghanistan.”
On average basis, the scale of water resources in Afghanistan is estimated up to 70 billion cubic meters annually. But 80 percent of these waters are flowing to Iran, Pakistan and other neighboring nations in the Central Asian countries. Iran is one of the neighbors which receive much water from Afghanistan’s two water zones – Helmand and Harirrod zones.
Based on Article 5 of the Helmand River Treaty, Iran shall make no claim to the water of the Helmand River in excess of the amounts specified in this Treaty, even if additional amounts of water may be available in the Helmand Lower Delta and may be put to a beneficial use
Members of civil society and residents of different provinces urged government to manage Afghanistan’s waters and implement more dam projects in the country.
A number of civil society activists and residents of different provinces from different parts of the country have reacted to the recent comments made by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on dam projects in Afghanistan.
The activists called on Tehran to respect the rights and freedom of the people of Afghanistan.
They asked the Afghan government to seal agreements on all waters which flow to Iran in order to prevent possible tension between the two countries.
“The remarks (by the Iranian president) show that Iran is not paying respect to the (Helmand River) agreement. Their demands are a lot,” said Rahmatullah Zaland, member of Paktia associations.
“National projects have positive impacts on Afghans’ lives wherever they are. We support these projects,” said Zia-ul-Haq Fazli, a resident of Paktia.
Kabul residents also reacted to the matter.
“Waters are ours. The dams which are built are ours. We call on neighboring countries not to interfere in these matters,” said Fardin, a resident of Kabul.
“We can improve agriculture through building more dams. We can improve the economy and generate more jobs,” said Abdul Mubin, a resident of Kabul.
Economic affairs analysts said the remarks by Rouhani could be considered as a violation of the Helmand River Treaty – signed between Afghanistan and Iran in 1970.
“Water is the biggest honor for the people of Afghanistan. No country has the right to interfere in this respect. It is the right of Afghans and they are free to manage the waters in the way that they want,” said Nabi Sadat, an economic affairs analyst.
This comes after the Iranian president criticized Afghanistan’s dam project at a conference on sandstorms in Tehran on Monday Rouhani said: “We cannot remain silent about the thing which is apparently damaging our environment. Establishment of several dams in Afghanistan such as Kajaki, Kamal Khan and Salma in the north and south of Afghanistan.”
On average basis, the scale of water resources in Afghanistan is estimated up to 70 billion cubic meters annually. But 80 percent of these waters are flowing to Iran, Pakistan and other neighboring nations in the Central Asian countries. Iran is one of the neighbors which receive much water from Afghanistan’s two water zones – Helmand and Harirrod zones.
Based on Article 5 of the Helmand River Treaty, Iran shall make no claim to the water of the Helmand River in excess of the amounts specified in this Treaty, even if additional amounts of water may be available in the Helmand Lower Delta and may be put to a beneficial use
