Research Article // Toward sustainable water resources management: critical assessment on the implementation of integrated water resources management and water–energy–food nexus in Afghanistan
By Ajmal Khan Shams and Nur Shazwani Muhammad. This study found that it is important to apply integrated approaches like integrated water resources management and the WEF nexus to ensure sustainable resource management for water, energy, and food security in Afghanistan for its current as well as future needs.
Abstract
Afghanistan has abundant water resources; however, the current state of affairs is dismal because of the lack of integrated water resources management (IWRM) practices and prolonged war and conflict in the country. Therefore, there is a need for a systematic approach to water management, which can be materialized by integrating IWRM and the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus approach to maintain a critical balance of available water resources and their various uses at the national level. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of Afghanistan's water resource management, including the current state, challenges, opportunities, and way forward. The identified challenges are categorized as social and environmental issues, engineering and technical and regulatory, policy and government role. These challenges are inter-connected and a novel framework toward the implementation of IWRM and the WEF nexus in Afghanistan is proposed. This framework can be used by the relevant stakeholders to prepare a roadmap for sustainable management of water resources. Such integrative approaches will enhance Afghanistan's water, food, and energy security and significantly contribute to its economic development. Moving forward, the Afghanistan government must play a crucial role with regards to the efficient management of the country's water resources in an integrated manner as suggested in this paper.
Published
December 2021
By
Download
Download the full research article here.
Citation
Shams, A. K., & Muhammad, N. S. (2022). Toward sustainable water resources management: critical assessment on the implementation of integrated water resources management and water–energy–food nexus in Afghanistan. Water Policy, 24(1), 1-18.
Related Articles
- News // Water and (in-)security in Afghanistan as the Taliban take over
- Research Article // Performance Evaluation and Water Availability of Canal Irrigation Scheme in Punjab Pakistan
- Report // Sustainable Agriculture in India 2021: What we know and how to scale up
- Research article // Evaluating the Potential of a Water-Energy-Food Nexus Approach toward the Sustainable Development of Bangladesh