As the issue of Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River has in recent years become one of the most significant water disputes between Iran and Afghanistan, Dr. Hojjat Mianabadi, a water diplomacy researcher, emphasized in an exclusive interview with Iraf that a major part of the current crisis stems not from natural water scarcity, but from mismanagement, unsustainable development, and the failure to implement water-related obligations.
The water expert, while explaining the distinction between water scarcity and water crisis, examined the Helmand Treaty, its shortcomings regarding environmental water rights, and the far-reaching consequences of the drying up of the Hamoun wetlands on both sides of the border.
Water Scarcity Is Natural, but a Water Crisis Is Not
At the beginning of the interview, Dr. Hojjat Mianabadi stressed that Iran is inherently located in a dry and low-rainfall climate and said that not every sign of water shortage should automatically be considered a crisis. According to him, water scarcity in Iran is a natural climatic reality, and throughout history this condition has even led to the emergence of intelligent methods of water management.
He explained: “There is a major difference between ‘water scarcity’ and a ‘water crisis.’ Water scarcity in itself is not a crisis; a crisis emerges when poor management, flawed policymaking, uncontrolled development, and weak water governance turn this natural shortage into a serious challenge. In other words, what many regions of the country are facing today is more the result of wrong decisions in water management than of climatic conditions.”
The senior water diplomacy researcher pointed to the experience of some Iranian cities and added: “Examples such as Yazd demonstrate that even under harsh climatic conditions, sustainable civilization and development can be achieved through proper management. Yazd lies in a region with extremely limited rainfall, yet through historical adaptation to the climate, the use of qanats, and indigenous management systems, it has become a model for living under water-scarce conditions.” He noted that the existence of UNESCO’s Global Center for Qanats in Yazd reflects this historical capacity.
Mianabadi further warned that occasional rainfall should not lead to neglect of the structural realities of water resources. He said: “At times, one or two years of increased rainfall create an ‘illusion of water abundance’ among some managers and policymakers, giving them the impression that the water problem has been solved. Such perceptions only perpetuate the wrong approaches of the past.” In his view, unless fundamental reforms in water management are implemented, temporary rainfall cannot resolve the crisis and may even delay necessary decisions.
The Helmand Treaty: A Mechanism That Is Not Being Enforced
In another part of the interview, the expert referred to the 1973 Helmand River Treaty between Iran and Afghanistan, describing it as one of the most important hydro-political agreements in the region. According to him, the treaty contains relatively precise legal and technical mechanisms for determining and allocating Iran’s water share under various conditions and is therefore a significant agreement within international water law.
However, he added that despite its strengths, the treaty suffers from two fundamental weaknesses. First, at the time it was drafted, environmental water rights for wetlands were not adequately considered. During that period, the dominant perspective viewed water primarily as a resource for human, agricultural, and economic use, while supplying water for wetlands and downstream ecosystems held little place in legal frameworks. As a result, the water rights of the Hamoun wetlands were not explicitly and clearly addressed in the treaty text.
The second weakness relates to the incomplete implementation of the treaty’s provisions. The water diplomacy researcher stressed that although the Helmand Treaty clearly defines mechanisms for both normal and drought conditions, the principal obstacle in practice has been the lack of political will on the Afghan side to fully implement its obligations. He stated: “In recent years — especially over the past decade — Iran’s water rights have not been fully delivered, despite the fact that the treaty explicitly specifies Iran’s share even during periods of drought.”
Rejecting the argument that drought can justify non-compliance, Dr. Mianabadi said: “The treaty itself contains provisions for low-water conditions, and Afghanistan cannot invoke reduced rainfall or drought as an excuse for withholding Iran’s water share.”
According to him, the core issue is not water scarcity itself, but rather the absence of political willingness to adhere to the agreement — a lack of commitment that existed in the past and continues to hinder the treaty’s full implementation today.
Mianabadi emphasized that although Iran and Afghanistan appear to be disputing the division of a shared river, the issue in reality goes beyond a bilateral conflict and concerns the environmental future of the entire region. In his view, any water agreement becomes meaningful only when both sides recognize it not merely as a political obligation, but as a necessity for survival and sustainable development.
Consequences of the Drying of Hamoun for Iran and Afghanistan
The senior water expert went on to explain the consequences of the drying up of the Hamoun wetlands and the failure to provide the Helmand water share, saying: “This crisis is no longer confined to Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province; it has also severely affected the Afghan side.” According to him, the drying of Hamoun has intensified dust storms, increased respiratory and eye diseases, sharply reduced quality of life, and triggered economic and social crises across the region.
Referring to the situation in Sistan, he added: “In Iran, the drying of Hamoun has for years created serious hardships for local communities. Rising illnesses caused by dust storms, increasing respiratory and eye problems, declining agricultural activity, the destruction of livelihoods, and widespread migration from the region are only part of the consequences of this crisis.” Mianabadi stressed that these conditions have also produced security implications, contributing to the depopulation of some border areas and weakening social stability.
But according to the water expert, the scope of the crisis has now expanded beyond Iran’s borders, and residents of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province and the city of Zaranj are also suffering from its direct effects. He explained that dust generated by the drying of Hamoun poses a serious threat to the health and livelihoods of people in these areas, and in some cases, airborne particles even reach Kabul. As a result, Afghanistan itself is now paying part of the price for the failure to secure the wetlands’ water rights.
Emphasizing that environmental crises do not recognize political borders, he said: “When a wetland dries up, the consequences do not remain confined to one country. Such a crisis can simultaneously affect several countries, and the clearest example can be seen in the Sistan-Hamoun-Helmand region and even parts of Pakistan. Therefore, continuing the current situation benefits neither Iran nor Afghanistan.”
Dr. Hojjat Mianabadi concluded by stating that the real solution lies neither in temporary measures nor in shifting the crisis elsewhere, but in returning to the principle of environmental water rights and respect for nature. According to him, if countries seek genuine and sustainable development, they must recognize that progress cannot endure without environmental protection. He stressed that Iran and Afghanistan are ultimately compelled to move toward cooperation and sustainable solutions in managing shared water resources, restoring wetlands, and reducing the impacts of dust storms.
It is worth noting that the Helmand River, as the primary source of water for the internationally recognized Hamoun wetlands, has for decades been at the center of water relations between Iran and Afghanistan. Those relations entered a formal legal framework with the signing of the 1973 treaty, but in recent years — due to reduced water flow, dam construction, climate change, and disputes over treaty implementation — the issue has once again become one of the region’s major challenges. The gradual drying of Hamoun has not only affected the livelihoods of millions of people on both sides of the border, but has also contributed to the spread of dust storm hotspots, migration, health crises, and environmental threats across eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan — developments that experts describe as a clear example of the interconnection between water security, environmental sustainability, and regional development.
