Enhanced environmental diplomacy needed to save Hamoun Wetland

According to The Iran Project,Hamoun International Wetland, stretching to 570,000 hectares, is considered one of the most important habitats of aquatic and terrestrial migratory birds and has been a shelter for many rare and endangered species for years.

The Hamouns are transboundary wetlands on the Iran-Afghan border made up of three lakes: Hamoun-e Helmand, which is entirely in Iran, Hamoun-e Sabari on the border, and Hamoun-e Puzak, almost entirely inside Afghanistan. The three lakes are linked and fed by water from the Helmand River which starts in the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan.

In the last two decades, once fertile wetlands have drastically dried up. The Taliban government closed the sluices to the Kajaki Dam on the Helmand until 2002, which aggravated the impact of the worst drought the region has experienced in many decades, brought about partially by climate change and warming temperatures.

The wetland was home to broad plant and animal diversity and was the main source of the region’s economic viability. However, they have nearly dried up due to climate change, dam construction, and other poor water management practices. This has led to large population migrations and a high unemployment rate.

The new plan to save the wetland includes a comprehensive approach with short-term, mid-term, and long-term measures. The evaluation of previous actions will be effective in the development of the new plan, ISNA reported.

Studying and reviewing previously taken measures and experiences in mitigating challenges ahead of Sistan–Baluchistan, the comprehensive management plan will cover 2 million and 800 thousand hectares of watersheds in the western region of Sistan–Baluchistan plain.

In these studies, collaborative methods, improving the livelihood pattern of local communities, reducing vulnerability, and improving adaptation to sand and dust masses are emphasized.

Also, to stabilize quicksand and control sand and dust storms, low water-intensive technologies will be used to reduce the vulnerability of projects to water scarcity and improve resilience.

As the Hirmand watershed was cut off, both agricultural lands and natural areas faced a lack of moisture supply.

The aridity of the environment is the main cause of dust and sand storms.

The hydrological changes in the watersheds flowing into Hamoun wetland, especially in recent years in Afghanistan, have completely changed the management of the fields compared to the previous years, so new and different methods are needed for field management.

In the last five years, the conditions have totally changed, so instead of planting seedlings in large areas, methods such as non-living windbreakers and stone and gravel covers will be used.

The comprehensive approach involves attracting bottom-up participation and using the capacities of villagers, village councils, and governorate generals.

The plan is going to be implemented in critical areas, and Sistan–Baluchestan is one of the most important plains in this regard.

The root and the main cause of the destruction of the land and the creation of sand and dust storms in the region is the drying up of one of the most important freshwater lakes in Asia, the Hamoun.

A vast area of the soil is exposed to wind erosion. Restoration measures based on vegetation ultimately require minimum water resources, which were provided in the form of floods every few years, but unfortunately, this has not happened for several consecutive years.

Natural resources as a member of the national headquarters to deal with the dust phenomenon will use regional and international capacities to strengthen the country's diplomacy to convince neighboring countries to cooperate in maintaining common ecosystems.

Hamoun destruction will cause great damage to both Iran and Afghanistan. The stability of the region requires effective cooperation.

Afghanistan should stay committed to water-sharing treaty

On November 11, an Iranian lawmaker called on Afghanistan’s interim government to properly supply Iran with its share of water from the Hirmand River, and stay committed to a 1973 water-sharing treaty between the two countries.

“All agreements with the Afghan side should lead to the realization of the Hirmand River water rights, as the lives of one million people in the northern part of Sistan-Baluchestan province depend on the water of the Hirmand River,” said Mohammad Sargazi during an interview with Iranian media.

The parliament member declared that the legislative body called on the foreign ministry to discuss the issue with an Afghan delegation that had visited Tehran.

“Our demand is that in exchange for providing abundant services to our brothers in Afghanistan and their residents in Iran, they should also fulfill their own promise. It definitely should not be a one-sided interaction, just as they are seeking to secure their interests in relation to Iran, we also need to secure the interests of the people of Iran,” Sargazi noted.

Iran and Afghanistan, both of which grappling with low rainfall due to environmental changes, have been locked in a tussle over the water share of the Hirmand River for more than two decades now.

The Hirmand River is considered to be the only vital waterway in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. The river takes its source in the Baba Mountains of Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban took over in 2021, the de facto leaders of Afghanistan have emphasized adherence to the Hirmand treaty, but in practice, Iran has not received its due share of water from the river. This has caused tensions to grow between the two sides in recent months.

Iran is lawfully supposed to receive an annual share of 820 million cubic meters from Hirmand.

MOU to revive Hamoun Wetland

In 2020, the DOE and UNDP signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to carry out a joint project for the revival of the Hamoun wetland.

The project was called “Improving the comprehensive management of natural resources for the rehabilitation of the wetland ecosystem and supporting alternative living in local communities in the Hamoun wetlands”.

It aimed to focus on the role and connection of people's lives on Hamoun wetlands as well as Hamoun's life on people's lives and at the same time be able to work on the protection of this wetland along with improving the living standards of the people around it.

The project emphasized that the pressure on Hamoun Wetland's resources, and in particular on the water resources of these wetlands, should be minimized and at the same time help strengthen the cross-border connection of Hamoun Wetland with Afghanistan to allocate water rights of the wetland.

Reporter : Editorial of The Iran Project