Afghanistan to build dam on transboundary river, Pakistan expresses concern

The Taliban leader has directed Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water to begin construction of a dam on the Kunar River as soon as possible — a move that is being seen as likely to heighten tensions with Pakistan over shared water resources.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Energy and Water, Abdul Latif Mansour, said that Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada instructed the ministry not to wait for foreign companies but instead to sign contracts with domestic firms and immediately begin the project. Quoting Akhundzada, Mansour said that Afghans have the right to manage their own water resources.

According to a report by Afghanistan International on Friday (October 24), the Kunar River is one of Afghanistan’s five major rivers. Originating in Pakistan’s Chitral region, it flows about 482 kilometers through Afghanistan’s Kunar province before merging with the Kabul River — which then re-enters Pakistan, providing vital water flow to provinces such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that rely heavily on Afghan river water.

Afghanistan is rich in water resources, but decades of war and instability have prevented it from developing an effective water management system.

Meanwhile, Pakistan remains highly sensitive about river flows. The plan to build a dam on the Kunar River comes amid increasing border tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. Water sharing between the two neighbors has long been a sensitive issue, but there is no formal water treaty between them — the sharing has so far been based on customary arrangements.

Recently, Pakistani media reported that Islamabad is considering diverting the flow of the Chitral River toward the Swat River before it enters Afghanistan. Citing government sources, The Nation newspaper reported that Pakistan is contemplating altering the river’s course before it joins the Kunar and Kabul Rivers inside Afghanistan.