When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, they pledged to assert “national sovereignty over water resources.” Yet, their push to build dams and canals has neither eased the country’s severe water crisis nor strengthened food security. Instead, according to Agence France-Presse, these projects are fueling “serious disputes” with neighboring states.
A centerpiece of this policy is the Qosh Tepa Canal, designed to divert more than one-fifth of the Amu Darya’s flow. Experts warn that such a diversion could devastate agriculture in Central Asia and worsen the ecological crisis of the Aral Sea. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan have all voiced concerns, while the Taliban insist the project is harmless and intended only to ensure Afghanistan’s food security. Analysts, however, describe the initiative as “irresponsible” and a disregard for long-standing regional understandings—one that could soon provoke retaliation.
On Afghanistan’s western border, disputes over the Helmand River are at their peak. Tehran has repeatedly accused the Taliban of violating the 1973 water treaty and failing to release Iran’s rightful share. The Taliban blame climate change for reduced water levels, even as they commission new dams along the river, deepening mistrust and raising fears of escalation.
Similar risks exist in the east, where the Kabul River—vital to Afghanistan’s capital—is shared with Pakistan. No formal water-sharing agreement exists. The Taliban have promised major projects in the basin, but a lack of funding and technical expertise has left most of these plans as propaganda rather than practical solutions. Meanwhile, Kabul’s worsening water shortages make daily life increasingly difficult.
As AFP concludes, the Taliban’s water projects are less a sign of state-building capacity than a reflection of a reckless and costly approach—one that risks isolating Afghanistan further and pushing fragile relations with its neighbors toward open crisis.
