Taliban's Plans To Build Dam Escalates Tensions With Pak

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Plans by the Afghan Taliban to build a hydroelectric dam on a major river in Afghanistan have raised concerns in neighbouring Pakistan, the media reported.

A spokesman for the Taliban's Water and energy Ministry said on December 18 that the "survey and design of the project are complete".

A Pakistani provincial Minister said the unilateral decision by the Taliban to build the dam "will be considered a hostile act against Pakistan".

Jan Achakzai, the provincial information minister in the southwestern province of Balochistan, warned of "severe consequences", including "escalating tensions and potential conflict", RFE/RL reported.

The 480-km-long Kunar River originates in the Hindu Kush mountains in northeastern Afghanistan and merges with the Kabul River before flowing downstream into Pakistan.

Afghanistan's rivers are a significant source of fresh water for Pakistan. But the two neighbors have never signed a bilateral water-sharing agreement.

Disputes over Kabul's plans to build dams on major rivers, which would reduce the flow of water to Pakistan, threaten to be a source of tension and conflict between the two countries, RFE/RL reported.

The planned hydroelectric dam on the Kunar River is the latest ambitious infrastructure project undertaken by the cash-strapped Taliban government, which remains internationally unrecognized.

Experts said the extremist group lacks the expertise and finances to fund the project.

"Constructing dams requires technical know-how, a robust supply chain, and a lot of money," said Najib Aqa Fahim, an Afghan water-management expert.

Najibullah Sadid, another Afghan water expert, said the dam on the Kunar River is relatively small and will not threaten water flows to Pakistan.

--IANS

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