Afghan ambassador faults Iran’s stance on drought

KABUL whenever the Persian Gulf country is hit by a drought, An Afghan diplomat says, calling Tehran's criticism unjust and misplaced.

Ambassador Naseer Ahmad Noor told an Iranian media outlet: "Afghanistan remains committed to implementation of the 1973 Helmand Water Treaty with Iran."

However, he hastened to reject Iran's complaints in case of drought. The envoy saw no reason for Tehran's criticism of his country, saying certain elements were out to defame Kabul.

"During the past 40 years of war imposed on Afghanistan, our homes, farming and irrigation system have been destroyed. Our growers, like other Afghans, have been forced into migration," he added. 

The ambassador denied stopping water flows into Iran during the period. Afghanistan could not harness even its own share of water that eventually flowed into Iran, he explained.

He noted Iran had been struggling with drought for the past two decades, during which it received Afghanistan's water. But even then Iran's issue of water scarcity could not be addressed.

Like other countries, the diplomat reasoned, Afghanistan too reserved the right to make use of its water resources by building dams on different rivers. 

He also faulted the digging of deep wells by Iran between Nimroz and Sistan-Balochistan provinces -- storing a huge quantity of water. 

mud