“The commitment of the Afghan side and their implementation of part of the provisions of the 1973 Helmand River treaty between the two governments… is a positive sign of initiating constructive interactions in trust-building and good neighbor policy,” Kazemi-Qomi said on social media on Sunday.
The ruling administration in Afghanistan granted permission to Iranian technical experts to inspect a hydrometric station in Deh Rawood on the Kajaki Dam’s upstream last week. However, they were denied a request to tour the dam itself.
The Kajaki Dam reservoir is at the center of a water dispute between Iran and Afghanistan that goes back decades.
Under the water-sharing agreement of 1973, Iran is entitled to about 850 million cubic meters of water from Helmand each year, but its share of the water has steadily dwindled due to dam construction and excessive irrigation by Afghanistan.
Last week’s tour of the Deh Rawood hydrometric station on Helmand was the first visit of its kind by an Iranian team since the 1973 treaty.
The Iranian experts measured the water flow at the station and found that it was less than the monthly average of a normal water year.
Iran expects Afghanistan to show its goodwill by allowing regular measurements of the water flow at the hydrometric station to precisely determine its fair share of the water from Helmand, which feeds the arid Sistan region in southeastern Iran.
Tehran has made clear it will not compromise on the country’s water rights.
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