Afghanistan Times
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Hassan Rouhani, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran recently criticized of the creation of water dams on the Afghan rivers, saying that Tehran would not remain silent in this regard.
Rouhani at a conference held in Tehran and in which, the representatives from 34 countries including Afghanistan were present, said that establishing such dams would affect Iran’s two provinces of Khorasan and Sistan and Baloochestan that are bordering Afghanistan’s provinces of Farah and Nimroz. Rouhani implied to the Salma, Kamal Khan and Kajaki dams in Afghanistan over the Helmand and Harirod rivers as the matter of his concerns.
The remarks are explained while the both neighboring and brotherly countries use the waters of the rivers flowing inside the Afghan soil.
The alarming global climate change that has caused the shortage of water resources, has made people around the world to think for water in the future. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan’s only resources are the seasonal snowfall and rainfalls. Our rivers are considered as the only sources that people refer to for ensuring water demands.
Afghanistan reportedly produces around 70 billion meter-cubic water every year, from which some 80 per cent flow to our neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan without being used inside the country.
This is the right of Afghanistan to use its natural resources that water is one of them. Afghans should be the first users of their waters and our neighbors can also use the God’s blessing, but they should not prevent us from using the rivers in our own home.
The relationship of Afghanistan and Iran is an example as the two nations have been living really like brothers without a single tension. We are grateful to our Iranian brothers and sisters for helping us in different areas. They are hosting a large number of Afghan migrants and the Islamic Republic has been a very important country that assists the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
While Afghans have never minded the use of the Afghan rivers’ water by their Iranian brothers, they expect not such statements from them.
We can continue living brotherly, but the use of the things that belong to us, is our immediate right. We need our waters, we need electricity, irrigation and greenery. Thus we should be the first ones that use our rivers.
