Afghanistan
A Countrywide Overview of Groundwater Resources and Challenges
By: Vincent W. Uhl
Physical Setting
Hindu Kush Mountain Range cuts country in half from northeast to southwest.
Precipitation is mainly in the form of snow and decreases from northeast to
southwest.
Total precipitation in the range of 180,000 million m3/year
River Basins
Kabul
Helmand
Western Flowing Rivers and Hari Rud
Northwestern Rivers
Amu Darya and its tributaries
River Basin Map
Principal Aquifer Systems
Quaternary deposits in the major river valleys.
Semi-consolidated Neocene Age deposits.
Carbonate rock aquifer systems (largely unexplored).
Sedimentary rock aquifer systems (largely unexplored).
Crystalline rock systems – unexplored.
Traditional Groundwater Sources of Irrigation and Drinking Water
Karezes
Springs
Shallow hand dug open wells
Karez Diagram
Current Groundwater Situation- Water Balance
2,480 3,650
1,500 Total Helmand
Basin
1,310 1,850
750 2b. Western Basin
1,170 530 1,800
750 750 2. Helmand
2a.Eastern Basin (unconsolidated aquifers only)
1,520 380 400 2,200
670 450
450 80 1. Kabul
(unconsolidated aquifers only) Indus Tributaries
Recharge Estimate
Uhl: Mm3/yr.
Recharge Estimate
FAO: Mm3/yr.
GW Usage Mm3/yr.
River Basin
Water Balance Cont.
1,140 2,580
460 Total Western
Flowing Rivers
Recharge Estimate Uhl
Mm3/yr.
Recharge Estimate FAO
Mm3/yr.
GW Usage Mm3/yr.
River Basin
640 980
160 3b. Hari Rud
340 300
unconsolidated aquifers only
500 1,600
300 3. Western
Flowing Rivers:
3a. Western Rivers
Water Balance; Cont.
Recharge Estimate
Uhl: Mm3/yr.
Recharge Estimate
FAO: Mm3/yr.
GW Usage Mm3/yr.
River Basin
10,650 16,500
2,800 Total for
Afghanistan
5,110 7,400
310 Amu Darya and
Northern Rivers
2,970 4,500
100 5. Amu Darya
2,140 2,900
210 4. Northern
Flowing Rivers
Major Impacts
Reduced groundwater recharge due to deforestation and land use practices.
Water level impacts in certain river basins due to over pumping.
Drying up of shallow wells and karezes.
Undocumented water quality impacts.
Issues to Resolve
Traditional Sources (gravity fed) vs. Deep Wells.
Over-abstraction in some river basins.
Management and regulatory approaches
National, Regional, and/or local.
Local acceptance and participation.
Traditional water management practices.
Forward Looking Practices
Basic groundwater data compilation and aquifer/river basin studies.
Abstraction regulations.
Well permitting and construction guidelines particularly for drinking water wells.
Integrated River Basin Management approaches.
Watershed management protection,
reforestation and recharge enhancement.
Lessons Learned
Lessons can be learned from nearby arid and semi-arid countries where over
abstraction is occurring.
Put management and regulatory policies in place and in advance of drilling and
pumping equipment technologies that can result in aquifer depletion.
Recommended Actions
Initiate practically oriented scientific studies by river basin that focus on groundwater availability, recharge characteristics/sustainability, and management alternatives.
Begin to consider and develop the
elements of some form of regulation for well drilling and groundwater abstraction.
Recommended Actions Cont.
Develop a focus on education related to conservation, watershed care, and
reforestation.
Initiate groundwater recharge
enhancement through the application of local small scale technologies.
