Rivers, the borders of Afghanistan and the division of historic Turkestan

The current borders of the Central Asian countries, or more precisely of historical Turkestan, were in many ways shaped first by the rivalry between the Russian and British empires in the region, and then as a result of the "demarcation" during the Soviet era. As a result, the unified historical space of Turkestan was politically divided.

As a result, Afghanistan 'moved north' and by the end of the 19th century the concept of South or Afghan Turkestan emerged. Today, three Central Asian countries share a common border with Afghanistan: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The longest, the Tajik-Afghan border, stretches for 1,344 kilometres.
Most of the population in the north of what is now Afghanistan is made up of the same peoples as in the neighbouring Central Asian states - Turkmen, Uzbeks and Tajiks. The borders of Afghanistan, or more precisely Afghan Turkestan, with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan run along the Panj and Amu Darya rivers. Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan is mostly desert and steppe. However, the Tedjen and Murghab rivers flow from Afghanistan into Turkmenistan, crossing the border, and are of great importance for irrigation and water supply in the neighbouring regions of Turkmenistan.

Sooner or later, the issue of "border adjustment" was bound to arise as a result of changing the course of border and transboundary rivers. And Afghanistan was the first to raise the issue. Its government announced the need to revise its borders with Central Asian countries due to flooding.

Acting Minister of Energy and Water Resources Abdul Latifa Mansour said Afghanistan's borders with Central Asian countries, which were eroded by the floods, would be renegotiated, Tolonews reports:

"Our borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been eroded by the floods. We are working to restore them and have already discussed the issue with our supreme leader," the official said. However, it is unclear whether neighbouring countries have been informed.

Abdullah Mansour stressed that the plan to revise the borders, which was drawn up at the request of Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzad, would be implemented jointly by the interior, foreign and defence ministries and the Directorate General of Intelligence. The official did not disclose details of the strategy, but assured that Afghanistan's actions on water management will not harm neighbouring countries.
The issue raised by the Afghan government is very serious. The problem of transboundary and border rivers does not only affect Afghanistan's relations with its neighbours. It also complicates the relations of other countries in the region. Not to mention the fact that the Amu Darya River, which has a significant catchment area on the territory of Afghanistan (more precisely, Afghan Turkestan), used to supply water to the Aral Sea, which has simply dried up due to the irrational use of water from this river for "irrigation".

It is evident that the Central Asian countries, which are committed to promoting peace and stability in the region, will need to address the challenges posed by transboundary and border rivers by 2025-2026 at the latest. This will require a collaborative approach involving all countries in the region. It is important to note that this list of issues, which are already of concern to all Central Asian countries, will include not only changes or "erosion" of borders as a result of floods, but also water use, construction of hydroelectric dams and irrigation systems, water treatment and pollution. Furthermore, the issue of climate change, reduction of the area of mountain glaciers (including in Afghanistan) and, as a consequence, reduction of water availability in rivers must also be considered.

The economic development of Afghanistan, particularly in its northern provinces, will inevitably result in an increase in water consumption and, potentially, greater water pollution. Consequently, Afghanistan will be confronted with environmental challenges that necessitate collaboration with its northern neighbours. These include the issues of erosion and boundary shifts along border and transboundary rivers, as well as the utilisation of these rivers and the protection of their catchments.

Vladimir Tskhvediani

Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye Strategic Partnership Information Support Centre

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