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Kabul Risks Becoming First Modern City To Run Out of Water
June 12th, 2025
Via The Guardian, an article on a recent report forecasting that the Afghan capital’s 7 million people face existential crisis that world needs urgently to address: Kabul could become the first modern city to completely run out of water, experts have warned. Water levels within Kabul’s aquifers have dropped by up to 30 metres over […]
Read more »Kabul May Run Out of Water
June 10th, 2025
A report from NGO Mercy Corps warns that Kabul could completely run out of water by 2030 owing to a combination of stressors, driven by over-extraction due to rapid urbanization, climate change, and widespread contamination of existing supply. Should the forecast come to pass, Kabul would become the first city to face an existential crisis […]
Read more »Kabul’s Water Crisis: An Inflection Point for Action
May 12th, 2025
Via ReliefWeb, an article on a new Mercy Corps report on Kabul’s water crisis: This new report from Mercy Corps outlines the escalating threats to water access, health, and stability in Afghanistan’s capital. With aquifers nearing depletion, widespread contamination, and funding for WASH programming at historic lows, the report highlights urgent priorities for humanitarian actors […]
Read more »Water Diplomacy: Central Asia’s Uneasy Spring
April 1st, 2025
Via Havli, a report on Uzbekistan’s water talks with the Taliban: In this week’s episode of the CAPS Unlock podcast, we examine two separate but revealing stories that show how Central Asia is being shaped by forces well beyond its borders, be they military drones (launched by either Russia or Ukraine) or canals being built […]
Read more »Struggling Over Water, Losing It Through Evaporation: The Case of Afghanistan and Iran
January 30th, 2025
The long-standing water conflict between Iran (downstream) and Afghanistan (upstream) led to the 1973 Helmand Water Treaty, ensuring Iran a share of the Helmand River. However, prolonged #droughts and rising water demand are intensifying disputes with tensions reaching alarming levels. While both nations have built reservoirs to mitigate water shortages, evaporative losses from these reservoirs […]
Read more »Afghanistan Warns Iran After Criticism of Dam Project
January 8th, 2025
Via Dawn, a report on continued water tension between Afghanistan and Iran: The Afghan government warned Iran on Wednesday against “irresponsible comments” following Tehran’s criticism last week of an upstream dam being built by its neighbour. Water rights have long been a source of friction in ties between the two countries, which share a more than 900-kilometre […]
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