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Drought impacts and potential for their mitigation in southern and western Afghanistan

Pays
Afghanistan
Sources
IWMI
Date de publication
Origine
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Citation:

Bhattacharya, K.; Azizi, P. M.; Shobair, S, S,; Mohsini, M. Y. 2004. Drought impacts and potential for their mitigation in southern and western Afghanistan.** Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) v, 19p. [IWMI Working Paper 91 / Drought Series: Paper 5]

Summary

After 25 years of consecutive war, the people of Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable to droughts and other natural disasters. Weak or nonexistent government institutions and the vacuum of physical or social information related to droughts or people’s coping strategies create a gap in developing or implementing a coherent and effective response to drought. To fill this gap, at least partially, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has conducted a quick situation analysis of drought-coping measures and responses in Afghanistan in partnership with the Agricultural Faculty of Kabul University, FAOAfghanistan and the Ministry of Irrigation, Water Resources and Environment of the Government of Afghanistan. The purpose of the study was to explore indigenous drought-coping strategies in Afghanistan, evaluate potential mitigating strategies and provide recommendations to the government and other institutions on developing improved drought responses in Afghanistan in the future. The study consisted of a survey with farm families and key government officials and covered two western provinces of the country. It also drew from other similar surveys, for example the one conducted in 12 southern and western provinces by the Government of Afghanistan.

Four of the last five years (except 2003) were drought years in Afghanistan, and the rural population suffered from shortage of potable water and falling groundwater levels. Many shallow wells (up to 30 meters deep) dried up. The irrigation potential in Ghor and Badghis provinces reduced from 17% to 88%, depending on the crops and area. Poppy cultivation is in the rise as a mechanism to maximize the profits from shrinking cultivable area. Crop diversity was reduced by 71% and productivity by over 50% in the western provinces of the country. Animal population, productivity and selling price also decreased significantly. Because of the lack of employment opportunities, migration was rampant and desperate measures, including indentured child labor and early marriage of girls, have increased. Overall, government anti-drought policies and practices in the country at present are at the embryonic stage. On the other hand, village-level institutions like shuras and water waqils are not meeting the expectations of the farmers to manage scarce water efficiently or equitably. An emerging commission at the central level and its regional suboffices may give some focus to drought-related issues. The Government of Afghanistan has already taken some positive steps to mitigate drought. A monthly bulletin on food-security analysis is an important first step in this direction. However, it will take a long time before its benefits are felt at the ground level mainly because of poor extension systems.

One possible drought mitigation strategy for Afghanistan is to divert excess water from waterrich river basins to water-scarce river basins in cases where this is technologically, economically and environmentally feasible. However, this paper argues that the best option for mitigating drought is community-based water harvesting and that in drought-prone areas, micro-watersheds are more useful than larger watersheds for augmenting agricultural production and increasing water security. Hypothetical scenarios suggest that it is possible to provide 15 liters of water per person per day throughout the year for drinking and domestic use by harvesting watersheds of 2.5 to 8 hectares per village. As 30% of livelihoods in Afghanistan depend on animal husbandry in rangelands, increasing the carrying capacity of rangelands through micro-watershed water harvesting may also have a long-term positive impact.