VZCZCXRO0305
PP RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #1558/01 2270305
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 150305Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8362
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1761
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1763
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1712
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1753
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1712
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1650
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1719
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1496
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1488
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1281
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1680
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1732
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1039
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 9728

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 001558 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/A 
SCA FOR R. DEUTSCH 
NSC FOR MERKEL, MILLARD 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EAID EAGR ENRG AF TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN:  LET THE FLOOD GATES OF WATER 
COOPERATION OPEN 
 
REF: DUSHANBE 1469 
 
DUSHANBE 00001558  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  Senior Afghan water officials visited Tajikistan 
August 2-9  to discuss bilateral cooperation in developing joint 
projects along the Amu Darya and Pyanj Rivers, which form the 
Afghan-Tajik border.  The highly successful visit initiated a 
practical dialogue and strong partnership between government 
officials, resulted in two draft Memorandums of Understanding, 
and fostered an optimistic and eager outlook on transboundary 
water cooperation which will help to integrate and develop the 
economies of Tajikistan and Afghanistan by harnessing hydropower 
and developing irrigation systems for commercial agriculture. 
Both governments strongly welcome the U. S. role in fostering 
technical capacity and political will in both countries towards 
resolution of complex and sensitive transboundary water issues. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  The First Deputy of Minister of Energy and Water, Kamullidin 
Nezami, accompanied by two Afghan advisors and two senior 
officials from Embassy Kabul's Afghan Reconstruction Group 
toured Tajikistan August 2-9 to meet with senior Tajik 
government officials and study strategic water development 
projects.  Highlights among the delegation's many field visits 
included the site where the Afghans propose building a future 
irrigation and hydropower dam at the upper Amu Darya, after the 
Pyanj and Vaksh Rivers converge.  The irrigation dam and 400 km 
canal siphoning water from the Amu Darya into northern 
Afghanistan could provide water to irrigate 500,000 hectares of 
land which would help introduce commercial agriculture in this 
remote corner of Afghanistan. (NOTE: This 1000 MW Upper Amu 
Darya hydropower dam is included in the Tajik schematic for 
developing the river, but has not been a high priority for the 
Tajiks prior to this visit.  They place greater priority on 
developing hydropower stations at Dhasti-Jhum, Granite Gates and 
Roghun.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶3.  In addition, the group visited the Chubek Canal along the 
Pyanj River which separates Tajikistan and Afghanistan and 
eventually flows into the Amu Darya.  The Asian Development Bank 
is providing about $22 million for stream bank protection and 
reinforcement with concrete structures to prevent massive 
flooding.   Last year, floods destroyed homes and killed several 
people along the banks of the river.  Similar needs exist on the 
Afghan side of the border, but so far the flood control projects 
are only  on the Tajik side.  Joint projects are required to 
avoid  detrimental consequences for the Afghan side of the 
border. 
 
¶4.  The group also visited the proposed site for the Upper Darya 
Irrigation Diversion Dam which could be used to open large areas 
of Northern Afghanistan to irrigation.  The Afghans would like 
this dam built in conjunction with the Dhasti-Jhum Hydroelectric 
Dam, which would be the "Hoover Dam" of Central Asia (reftel). 
 The team visited various other  irrigation diversion and 
control structures and the Nurek dam and hydroelectric power 
station, the largest rock-fill dam in Central Asia. 
 
¶5.  Meetings with Tajik officials including the Minister of 
Water, Abdukahir Nazirov, established a good working 
relationship between the two groups.  Throughout the country, 
the Tajiks welcomed their Afghan counterparts with open arms, 
bestowed on them traditional Tajik gifts and of course treated 
them to the requisite large lunch and dinner feasts, one of 
which included five main courses of meat.  In deference to their 
Afghan colleagues, the Tajik hosts served these meals without 
the usual vodka toasting.  A shared language and common culture 
will help to facilitate communication and ease future exchanges 
of technical experts. 
 
 
TWO MOUS ARE BETTER THAN ONE 
 
¶6.  Tajikistan's State Committee on Environmental Protection's 
Agency for Hydrometeorology drafted a draft Memorandum of 
 
DUSHANBE 00001558  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Understanding for Nezami proposing the establishment of water 
gauging stations along the Amu Darya and Pyanj rivers.   Staff 
gages and manual water measurements were once used, but the 
Tajiks have been unable to access the Afghan side of the border 
for manual measurements for the last 15 years.  Water 
measurement is crucial for developing water allocation options 
between the republics and for planning of projects and 
implementing measures to prevent massive flooding, which takes 
lives, destroys homes,  and erodes the river's banks causing 
millions of dollars worth of damage each year.  Modern gauging 
stations will provide needed data for future projects such as 
large dams and irrigation diversion structures to regulate and 
manage the water flow.  The two governments are currently 
negotiating the MoU's terms.  No major hurdles are foreseen and 
it is expected that both governments will sign a final MoU in 
the near future. 
 
¶7.  The Tajik Ministry of Water and Land Reclamation is 
preparing an overarching MoU on joint cooperation for projects 
along the Amu Darya for Afghan consideration.  The draft MoU 
will serve as a basis for future cooperation and will include 
items such as Tajik assistance in design of dams and structures 
and agreement to collaborate on future infrastructure projects 
along the Pyanj and Amu Darya.  This point is particularly 
salient for the proposed Dhasti-Jhum hydroelectric dam project. 
In order for the dam to be constructed and to be successful, 
both countries need to reach an official understanding of water 
use and sharing along the river.  Afghan and Tajik officials 
also discussed submitting joint proposals to international 
financial institutions for development projects which would 
benefit both countries. 
 
 
U.S. ASSISTANCE NEEDED 
 
¶8.  The United States plays a strong leadership role on water 
sharing issues in Central Asia.  In meetings with EmbOffs, 
Afghan First Deputy Minister of Water Nezami and Tajikistan's 
Minister of Water and Land Reclamation Nazirov both requested 
U.S. support in facilitating transboundary water cooperation. 
Afghanistan and Tajikistan do not have the technical or 
financial capacity to train specialists, develop legislation for 
water management, or pursue infrastructure projects alone.  The 
United States can provide assistance by: 
 
-- Developing exchange programs to send Afghans and Tajiks 
specialists to the United States for technical training; 
-- Supporting specialists from the United States to work in 
Afghanistan and Tajikistan in advisory roles on water management 
issues; 
-- Providing political support for worthwhile joint proposals of 
project development along the Pyanj and Amu Darya River; and 
-- Identifying financial resources to fund dams, hydroelectric 
facilities, irrigation, water supply and management projects. 
 
¶9.  Transboundary water issues in Central Asia are politically 
sensitive.  Afghanistan has no water sharing agreement with 
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan which will be necessary 
to prevent international conflicts over water in the Amu Darya. 
Dushanbe and Kabul have gotten off to a good start and with 
assistance from the United States should be able to develop 
practical bilateral water sharing agreements.  Once this is 
done, Afghanistan and Tajikistan will be able to address the 
more complex issues of water sharing with Uzbekistan and 
Turkmenistan.  The Tajik Minister of Water and the Afghan First 
Deputy Minister for Water specifically requested U.S. assistance 
in facilitating long term regional agreements equitable to all 
countries. 
 
¶10.  Post considers this visit a significant step forward, 
particularly in terms of the South and Central Asian regional 
integration initiative.  In a region beset by narcotics and 
terrorism, water has not always been at the forefront of policy 
 
DUSHANBE 00001558  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
or funding decisions.  If Afghans and Tajiks can develop working 
relationships on water, we are confident they will be able to 
parlay those relationships to other sectors. The water 
cooperation will also help realize the region's hydropower 
potential and lead towards the economic integration necessary 
for long-term stability. 
HUSHEK