Iran (IMNA) - Mohammad Javanbakht, Iran's Deputy Energy Minister for Water and Wastewater, claimed on Monday that a group of Iranian scientists who visited a hydrometric station on the Helmand River last week were not permitted to go to Kajakai Dam farther down the river.
Javanbakht was cited by the official IRNA news agency as stating, "Iran is seeking a visit by technical experts to the reservoir of Kajaki Dam, and Afghanistan has not granted approval on this."
After Iranian scientists visited Dehrawood Hydrometric Station—the first such visit allowed by Afghanistan to Iran since the two countries inked a 1973 agreement to share water from Helmand—the official made the comments.
Iranian scientists haven't yet made the findings of their measures operations in Dehrawood public, but Javanbakht claimed that one visit to the station wouldn't be sufficient and that Iran needs more access, particularly during the period when it would have the most water.
Contrary to past Afghan administrations, the Taliban group has stated it is prepared to uphold the conditions of the 1973 deal by supplying water from Helmand to Iran's southeast Sistan province.
The drought in Afghanistan, according to Kabul officials, has prevented the delivery of Iran's water rights and privileges.
On the Iranian side of the border, the Helmand River is known as the Hirmand, and Iran gets granted 850 million cubic meters of water each year from it.
The Iranian team verified during their visit to Deh Rawood, according to a statement from the Taliban's foreign ministry, that the amount of water flowing through Helmand had reached a record low of less than seven cubic meters per second.
It claimed that the Iranian specialists had also admitted that the drought in Afghanistan and the declining water levels in Helmand were caused by global climate change.
In his statements on Monday, Javanbakht said that Iran will continue to fight for its water rights in Helmand until they are completely justified.
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