Afghanistan has launched a project to construct a dam on the Kunar River, aiming to control the flow of water into neighboring Pakistan. The decision comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries following recent border clashes.
Acting Afghan Minister of Water Resources Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor confirmed that Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada personally instructed authorities to proceed with the project. “Afghans have the right to control their own water,” the minister reiterated on Friday (24 October).
The development follows a four-day conflict earlier this year between Pakistan and India, during which New Delhi threatened to terminate the Indus Waters Treaty and restrict water flow to Pakistan. Analysts say the new Afghan initiative could add further pressure to Pakistan’s already fragile water security.
Kunar River: A Strategic Lifeline
Stretching approximately 480–500 kilometers, the Kunar River originates in Pakistan’s Chitral region of the Hindu Kush before flowing into Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. It then re-enters Pakistan via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it merges with the Kabul (Chitral) River near Jalalabad and eventually connects to the Indus at Attock in Punjab.
Both the Kunar and Kabul rivers are vital for Pakistan’s drinking water supply, irrigation, and hydropower generation — particularly for communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Reduced water flow, experts warn, could trigger drinking water shortages and severely damage agricultural productivity in downstream agricultural zones.
Unlike with India, Pakistan has no formal water-sharing treaty with Afghanistan, limiting Islamabad’s options to challenge the dam project through diplomatic or legal channels.
