Water is a highly political issue today, and the Middle East is one of the worldâs most critical regions in terms of water policies and conflicts. Afghanistan, a source of several major rivers, faces numerous hydropolitical challenges with its neighbors. One of these rivers, the Helmand River, is central to the ongoing dispute between Iran and Afghanistan. The Helmand River drains half of southern Afghanistan and provides approximately 80â¯% of the water to the uninhabited areas of the Sistan province in Iran. In fact, Helmand is Sistanâs vital artery. The river feeds into four wetlands: Hamoun Helmand, Hamoun Saberi, Hamoun Bringak, and Hamoun Pozak. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental factors influencing Helmand hydropolitics by examining land use changes in the Helmand River catchment in three categoriesâwater, vegetation, and soilâfrom 1986 to 2021. The results reveal that environmental factors have significantly impacted the hydropolitics of the Helmand Basin, causing severe water shortages in Sistan, the downstream area of the catchment. This has disrupted the natural, human, and animal ecosystems in the region. The detection of land use changes in the Helmand River Basin (1986â2021) and subsequent data analysis confirm the role of environmental factors in exacerbating political decisions regarding the Helmand Basin.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
Ahmadi, M./Ghavidel Rahimi, Y./Darfashi, Kh. (2012), âThe Impact of Drought on Border Security in Sistan Region from 1998 to 2010â, National Conference on Border Cities and Security, Challenges and Approaches, Sistan and Baluchestan University.
Ahmadi, S.A./Hekmatara, H./Noorali, H./Campana, M. (2023), âThe hydropolitics of Upper Karabakh, with emphasis on the border conflicts and wars between Azerbaijan and Armeniaâ, GeoJournal 88: 1873â1888. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10714-4.
Ahmadzai, S. (2016), âHydropolitics of Afghanistan and Its Futureâ, Transboundary Water Resources in Afghanistan Climate Change and Land-Use Implications: 403â419.
Akbari, N./Mashhadi, A./Kazemi Foroushani, H. (2016), âLegal Dimensions of Helmand Exploitationâ, Quarterly of Public Law Research 22.68: 291â325.
Allan, J.A. (2001), The Middle East Water Question. Hydropolitics and the Global Economy, London.
Aman, F. (2016), Water Dispute Escalating between Iran and Afghanistan, Atlantic Council, South Asia Center (available online at: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Water_Dispute_Escalating_between_Iran_and_Afghanistan_web_0830.pdf).
Bandani, H. (2015), âAssessment of Alamâs Dynasty Role in the Formation of Goldâ, International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research 6.5: 1916â1922.
BBC NEWS (2021), âRežim-e hoquqi-ye Hirmand: dar moqÄbel-e naft be Īran Äb mÄ« dahÄ«mâ, 24.03.2021 (available online at: https://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan-56509218).
Beaumont, P./Blake, G.H./Wagstaff, J.M. (1976), The Middle EastâA Geographical Study, London.
Etaat, J./Varzesh, I. (2012), âHelmand Hydropolitics: Reasons, Effects, and Consequencesâ, Human Geography Research 81: 193â212.
Ettehad, E. (2010), Hydropolitics in Hirmand/Helmand International River Basin, OAI, Université de soutenance (available online at: http://stud.epsilon.slu.se).
Evenstar, L., et al. (2018), âQuaternary Landscape Evolution of the Helmand Basin, Afghanistan: Insights from Staircase Terraces, Deltas, and Paleoshorelines Using High-Resolution Remote Sensing Analysisâ, Geomorphology 311.15: 37â50.
Goes, B./Howarth, S.E./Wardlaw, R.B./Hancock, I.R./Parajuli U.N. (2015), âIntegrated Water Resources Management in an Insecure River Basin: A Case Study of Helmand River Basin, Afghanistanâ, International Journal of Water Resources Development 3: 3â25.
Hafeznia, M.R./Mojtahedzadeh, P./Alizadeh, J. (2006), âHelmand Hydropolitics and Its Impact on Iran-Afghanistan Political Relationsâ, Space Planning 2.45: 1â56.
Hajihosseini, H./Hajihosseini, M./Morid, S./Delavar, M./Booij, M.J. (2016), âHydrological Assessment of the 1973 Treaty on the Transboundary Helmand River, Using the SWAT Model and a Global Climate Databaseâ, Water Resources Management 30.13: 4681â4694.
Hajihosseini, M./Morid, S./Hajihosseini, H./Delavar, M./Booji, M. (2020), âImpacts of Land Use Changes and Climate Variability on Transboundary Hirmand River Using SWATâ, Journal of Water and Climate Change 11.4: 1695â1711.
Heshmat Sadat, S./Sayed, N. (2020), âAfghanistan and Iran: From Water Treaty to Water Disputeâ, The Interpreter (available online at: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/afghanistan-and-iran-water-treaty-water-dispute).
Hydro Review (2021), âPresident Ghani Inaugurates 9-MW Kamal Khan Dam in Afghanistanâ, Hydro Review Content Directors (available online at: https://www.hydroreview.com/hydro-industry-news/president-ghani-inaugurates-9-mw-kamal-khan-dam-in-afghanistan/#gref).
Islam, M. (2011), âImpact of Helmand Water Dispute on the Bilateral Relations between Iran and Afghanistan; An Evaluationâ, International Journal of Central Asian Studies 15: 113â141.
Jankielsohn, R. (2018), âDefining Hydropolitics: Water Politics in South Africaâ, Journal of Contemporary History 37.1: 123-141.
M. Khosravi/Kh. Raispour (2012), Helmand, the most important factor in the dispute between Iran and Afghanistan, National Conference on Border Cities and Security, Challenges and Approaches (In Persian).
Lu, Zh., Kim, J.-W./Lee, H./Shum, C.K./Duan, J./Ibaraki, M./Akyilmaz, O./Read, Ch.H. (2009), âHelmand River Hydrologic Studies Using ALOS PALSAR InSAR and ENVISAT Altimetryâ, Marine Geodesy 32: 320â333
Mojtahedzadeh, P. (1993), Evolution of Eastern Iranian Boundaries, Ph.D. thesis, University of London.
Mojtahedzadeh, P. (2004). Small Players of Great Game, Routledge.
Mojtahedzadeh, P. (2010), The Origin and Evolution of Sistan Borders in Iranâs Border Policies and International Borders, Tehran.
Prasad Rai, S./Wolf, A./Sharma, N./Tiwari, H. (2016), âHydropolitics in Transboundary Water Conflict and Cooperationâ, River System Analysis and Management: 353â368.
Qureshi, Z./Mianabadi, H./Parvaresh-rizi, A. (2021), âCorrelation Matrix Analysis of Transboundary Water Interactions in Helmand Watershedâ, Iranian Soil and Water Research 52.1: 273â300.
Shahbazbegian, M./Turton, A./Mousavi Shafaee, S. (2016), âHydropolitical Self-Organization Theory; System Dynamics To Analyse Hydropolitics of Helmand Transboundary Riverâ, Water Policy 18.5: 1088â1119.
Tayie, M. (2016), âThe Hydropolitics of the Nile River Basinâ, The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry 56: 599â654.
Turton, A. (2002), âHydropolitics: The Concept and Its Limitationsâ, Hydropolitics in the Developing World: A Southern African Perspective, Pretoria: 13â19.
Vuyovich, C./Jacobs, J. (2011), Snowpack and Runoff Generation Using AMSR-E passive Microwave Observations in the Upper Helmand Watershed, Afghanistan. Remote Sensing of Environment 115: 3313â3321.
Waterbury, J. (1979), Hydropolitics of the Nile valley, New York.
Whitney, J. (2006), Geology, Water, and Wind in the Lower Helmand Basin, Southern Afghanistan, Scientific Investigations Report 2006â5182 (Prepared under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development 22), Denver.
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 2129 | 402 | 44 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 14 | 5 | 0 |
Water is a highly political issue today, and the Middle East is one of the worldâs most critical regions in terms of water policies and conflicts. Afghanistan, a source of several major rivers, faces numerous hydropolitical challenges with its neighbors. One of these rivers, the Helmand River, is central to the ongoing dispute between Iran and Afghanistan. The Helmand River drains half of southern Afghanistan and provides approximately 80â¯% of the water to the uninhabited areas of the Sistan province in Iran. In fact, Helmand is Sistanâs vital artery. The river feeds into four wetlands: Hamoun Helmand, Hamoun Saberi, Hamoun Bringak, and Hamoun Pozak. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental factors influencing Helmand hydropolitics by examining land use changes in the Helmand River catchment in three categoriesâwater, vegetation, and soilâfrom 1986 to 2021. The results reveal that environmental factors have significantly impacted the hydropolitics of the Helmand Basin, causing severe water shortages in Sistan, the downstream area of the catchment. This has disrupted the natural, human, and animal ecosystems in the region. The detection of land use changes in the Helmand River Basin (1986â2021) and subsequent data analysis confirm the role of environmental factors in exacerbating political decisions regarding the Helmand Basin.
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 2129 | 402 | 44 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 14 | 5 | 0 |