Afghanistan says it's committed to abiding by water-sharing arrangement with Iran

Afghanistan has reaffirmed that it's committed to abiding by the water-sharing treaty signed with Iran.

Afghanistan has reaffirmed that it's committed to abiding by the water-sharing treaty signed with Iran. Two days after the complaint of Iran's foreign ministry saying that Iran did not receive its share of water from Helmand River last year, officials from the Afghan Ministry of Energy and Water said Iran will receive its share based on the water treaty signed by the two countries in 1973, according to Tolo News.

According to the treaty, Afghanistan is committed to sharing the water from the Helmand River with Iran and will supply 26 cubic meters of water per second, or 850 million cubic meters per annum. The treaty was signed by the then-Prime Minister of Afghanistan Mohammad Musa Shafiq and his counterpart Abbas Hoveida, the then-Prime Minister of Iran, as reported by Tolo News.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman of Iran's foreign ministry, on Monday at a press briefing said last year Iran only received five per cent of its share of water. "During the past water year, less than 5 per cent of Iran's share (of the Helmand river) based on the 1973 agreement has been given. And so far no share has been given to Iran (this year)." Meanwhile, officials from Afghanistan's Ministry of Energy and Water said the Islamic Emirate is committed to giving Iran's share based on the water treaty.

According to the officials, in the past year, enough water might not have flown to Iran due to droughts in Afghanistan, as reported by Tolo News. (ANI)

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