22 March 2010
Water is central to life in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Agriculture depends on a stable supply of water and most people in Helmand are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
The province is currently served by a large irrigation system built 50 years ago. Many Helmandis benefit from the system, but for years it has been allowed to deteriorate.
River and canal banks have eroded, canal regulator gates have become defunct and silt deposits in the irrigation and drainage canals are now a major problem. The whole system is in urgent need of repair.
An ambitious DFID-supported project is addressing that need. The Helmand River Basin Project (HRBP) is improving infrastructure and, with it, local livelihoods.
A key challenge in the area is that many Helmandis are involved in illicit activities associated with the Taliban such as poppy cultivation. By helping more water to flow into Helmand’s fields, the HRBP offers new opportunities for legal farming and the chance to cut links to the insurgency.
“This is an ambitious project to undertake at this time,” says Mark Harvey, DFID's senior infrastructure advisor in Helmand and leader of the HRBP. “But it’s essential that we support the government of Afghanistan in making progress in managing its water resources now and for the future.”
As well as upgrading infrastructure, the HRBP is focused on improving local water governance. This should strengthen the Afghan government’s ability to deliver local services as well as help it to become more accountable.
In the medium to longer term, the HRBP aims to improve the management of water resources at the provincial and national levels too. The benefits for economic growth and conflict-reduction should be considerable.
"As you fly over the Helmand valley and look down at the river and the irrigation system,” says Mark, “you know that you are tackling one of the most important issues for peace, stability and development.”
Facts and stats
- The HRBP is funded by DFID and other donors at a cost of £2.8 million. Other donors include Asian Development Bank, USAID and the Canadian International Development Agency.
- The Helmand river basin covers 43% of Afghanistan’s landmass and serves 7.1 million people, more than a quarter of Afghanistan's total population.
- Currently Helmand’s irrigation system reaches only 59% of people in the area.