Strategic Policy Framework for the Water Sector.

This nation-wide policy document is an overall framework to guide the Ministry of Irrigation, Water Resources and Environment in setting general direction for the institutional reform processes of Ministry over the next 20 years. It also contains a 12 year Strategic Plan to be implemented by 2015. Furthermore, gender, human rights and environment, are addressed in the document as the major cross-cutting issues and will be attended by specific strategies in the water and natural resources sector.
Since the great majority of Afghanistan’s population derive their livelihood from the agriculture sector, the Government has made development of water sector one of its major national priorities. The overall goal of the Policy is, over the next 20 years, to give to the sector a vital role to enable most families to achieve food security and self-reliance. Thus, water sector development aims to improve the quality of life through a number of overall objectives (i) sustainable use and effective protection of water resources, especially groundwater; (ii) reducing poverty and unemployment, by ensuring food security through water security, by increased production and improved productivity in the agriculture sector; (iii) access to safe drinking water and sanitation; (iv) satisfy national energy requirements through generation of sufficient hydro-power, both in rural and urban areas; (v) contribute to the national economy by supplying the required water to industrial and other economic sectors; and (vi) control and mitigate water-related disasters and protect the environment and conserve bio-diversity of natural habitat.
Achieving these goals requires multi-level interventions, including (i) an integrated approach to water resources management; (ii) promotion and encouragement of traditional local organizations and water users associations; (iii) appropriate approaches to reduce the effects of droughts and floods; (iv) protection of the environment; and (v) promotion and development of an effective and dynamic private sector in the natural resource sector generally, and in the water sector especially.
To help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, in the short- and medium-term, the strategy for the irrigation sub-sector will concentrate on the implementation and promotion of sustainable and efficient irrigation systems, supporting the opportunities to diversify and intensify agricultural production in a manner to provide sustainable livelihoods for the farming communities, ensure food security and self-reliance in the country. Basic principle is that adequate access to irrigation water is an essential factor in achieving food security and self-reliance in food production.
In order to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, a number of actions will be directed to develop the main and other sectors in particular the irrigation system. In more details (i) improvement and introduction of specific infrastructure interventions in the traditional irrigation schemes, as part of an effort to upgrade these systems, will lead to more water storage and reduce water loss; (ii) increasing and improvement of production in agriculture by supporting rehabilitation and reconstruction work on priority small, medium and large scale traditional irrigation schemes to increase the available water; (iii) promotion of effective and efficient use of water; (iv) establish improved water resource management systems, through adoption of a river basin management approach in the five river basins of Afghanistan; (v) promotion of research, appropriate technologies, and best practices that can provide a basis for future policy development, as well as for enhancement of effective and efficient water use; (vi) development and introduction by the Government of certification and regulatory framework for efficient and effective use of water, agriculture, land, forestry, range land and other sectoral areas; and (vii) development and enhancement of fisheries and aquaculture.
Rural poverty reduction will be addressed with (i) achievement of a balance in access to water between rural and urban areas; (ii) addressing rural needs comprehensively through a number of specific interventions, especially in management and rehabilitation of irrigation, flood control and drought mitigation and water supply and sanitation; (iii) improving livelihood through increased and improved production in agriculture by supporting rehabilitation and reconstruction work on priority small, medium and large scale traditional irrigation schemes; (iv) securing adequate financial resources and their timely allocation for all components of irrigation and agriculture and rural development; and (v) developing and implementing rural electrification programs.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, main proposed interventions aim at (i) promotion and encouragement of traditional local organizations and water users associations and communities’ active participation in water resource management with sufficient capacities; (ii) participatory and consultative water sector development activities leading to commitment by stakeholders and actions that are socially acceptable; (iii) development of alternative livelihood and alternative crops to replace illicit drug cultivation, production and trafficking, along with employment opportunities for the large number of otherwise underemployed or unemployed people that are currently working in the poppy fields; (iv) assurance of sustainable access to water for family households; and (v) giving attention to respond to the needs of Nomads both en route and during temporary settlement.
Increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters is also addressed highlighting the need to respond effectively to future droughts through effective measures in drought mitigation, in particular through the development of cost-effective water storage and dams that can reduce drought and flood damage through appropriate measures for rain and flood water harvesting and storage.
As for the Governance, coordination will be vital at all levels for the successful implementation of the water sector policy, especially as there are numerous stakeholders involved in the sector. A first step to effective coordination will be the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Commission for water that shall address as one of the initial issues a clear division of responsibilities, among the different government institutions, especially with respect to water management and service delivery. Another basic issue is the intervention at institutional level for the review and harmonization of existing legislation and regulations, and enactment of new appropriate legislation and regulations, that can respond to longer-term needs of the water resource management and use.