Water Resource Development In Northern Afganistan And Its Implications For Amu Darya Basin

This publication examines increased water use by Afghanistan and its implications for other water users in the basin, including the Aral Sea, both in the short and long term. Topics discussed include: the amount of Amu Darya flows generated in northern Afghanistan; the amount of water presently used in northern Afghanistan, prospective use in the near future, and possible impact of the increased use on the riparian states and the Aral Sea; existing agreements between Afghanistan and the neighbouring Central Asian states on the use of waters in the Amu Darya Basin, their relevance and applicability in the present and in the future; and future directions for water resources development and improved water management in the basin.

This publication examines increased water use by Afghanistan and its implications for other water users in the basin, including the Aral Sea, both in the short and long term. Topics discussed include: the amount of Amu Darya flows generated in northern Afghanistan; the amount of water presently used in northern Afghanistan, prospective use in the near future, and possible impact of the increased use on the riparian states and the Aral Sea; existing agreements between Afghanistan and the neighbouring Central Asian states on the use of waters in the Amu Darya Basin, their relevance and applicability in the present and in the future; and future directions for water resources development and improved water management in the basin.

This report presents the analysis of current status of water resources management in Afghanistan and identify steps for maximizing the use ofavailable water resources to enhance crop productivity and environmental sustainability.

The book provides a cross-sectoral, multi-scale assessment of development-directed investigations in the main rivers of wider Central Asia and Afghanistan. The book highlights the development of river systems, water reservoirs, ecosystems and risks as well as the impact of climate change on water resources in Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. It provides information on the genesis of river basins, physical and chemical properties of water in rivers, and the hydrological regimes of the rivers of Central Asia and Afghanistan. The book is useful for scientists and researchers whose work focuses on rivers and the use of water resources, irrigation, ecosystems, risks, water supply, climate change and remote sensing, as well as for students and planners, administrations and other stakeholders in the water sector.

Promoting Transboundary Water Security in the Aral Sea Basin through International Law addresses the current gap in the literature by moving beyond the static identification of treaties and norms to examine how these treaties and norms can work for water security in practice.

The Research Handbook on International Water Law surveys the field of the law of shared freshwater resources. In some thirty chapters, it covers subjects ranging from the general principles operative in the field and international groundwater law to the human right to water and whether international water law is prepared to cope with climate disruption. The authors are internationally recognized experts in the field, most with years of experience. The Research Handbook is edited by three scholars and practitioners whose publications and work deal with the law of international watercourses.

At the UN General Assembly in 1997, an overwhelming majority of States voted for the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses – a global overarching framework governing the rights and duties of States sharing freshwater systems. Globally, there are 263 internationally shared watersheds, which drain the territories of 145 countries and represent more than forty percent of the Earth's land surface. Hence, inter-State cooperation towards the sustainable management of transboundary water supplies, in accordance with applicable international legal instruments, is a topic of crucial importance, especially in the context of the current global water crisis. This volume provides an assessment of the role and relevance of the UN Watercourses Convention and describes and evaluates its entry into force as a key component of transboundary water governance. To date, the Convention still requires further contracting States before it can enter into force. The authors describe the drafting and negotiation of the Convention and its relationship to other multilateral environmental agreements. A series of case studies assess the role of the Convention at various levels: regional (European Union, East Africa, West Africa, Central Asia, Central America and South America), river basin (e.g. the Mekong and Congo) and national (e.g. Ethiopia and Mexico). The book concludes by proposing how future implementation might further strengthen international cooperation in the management of water resources, to promote biodiversity conservation as well as sustainable and equitable use.

Transboundary Water from Afghanistan: Climate Change, and Land-Use Implications brings together diverse factual material on the physical geography and political, cultural, and economic implications of Southwest Asian transboundary water resources. It is the outgrowth of long-term deep knowledge and experience gained by the authors, as well as the material developed from a series of new workshops funded by the Lounsbery Foundation and other granting agencies. Afghanistan and Pakistan have high altitude mountains providing vital water supplies that are highly contentious necessities much threatened by climate change, human land-use variation, and political manipulation, which can be managed in new ways that are in need of comprehensive discussions and negotiations between all the riparian nations of the Indus watershed (Afghanistan, China, India, and Pakistan). This book provides a description of the basic topographic configuration of the Kabul River tributary to the Indus river, together will all its tributaries that flow back and forth across the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the basic elements that are involved with the hydrological cycle and its derivatives in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush and Himalaya. Synthesizes information on the physical geography and political, cultural, and economic implications of Southwest Asian transboundary water resources Offers a basic topographic description of the Indus River watershed Provides local water management information not easily available for remote and contentious border areas Delivers access to the newest thinking from chief personnel on both sides of the contentious border Features material developed from a series of new workshops funded by the Lounsbery Foundation and other granting agencies