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Gendered waters: the effect of marginalizing women in the Taliban-Iran Water Dispute
After this, I will be writing for Zantimes.com. Follow @ZanTimes on Twitter, link: https://twitter.com/ZanTimes
The water dispute between the Taliban and Iran over the Helmand River has recently escalated into a display of machismo and military posturing. While both sides flex their strength, the real victims of this dispute are the women who bear the brunt of water scarcity and its consequences. This article examines the gender dynamics involved in the conflict and highlights the marginalization of women in decision-making processes related to transboundary water governance.
There is no universal formula for solving water disputes between upstream countries and downstream countries. Often, nations share precious water resources through bilateral or multilateral treaties. Although those agreements can often prevent many disagreements, the precious nature of water means that there is always the threat of conflict, especially as rainfall and water levels rise and fall. The Indus River Water Treaty signed in September 1960 between India and Pakistan is an example of how such an agreement can survive, even through two wars between the neighboring countries.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Sometimes, India, which occupies the valuable upstream position, threatens Pakistan that it will redirect waters of the Indus River towards its Punjab and Rajasthan states if Pakistan doesn’t stop allowing terrorists to operate from its lands. In 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quoted as saying, “Blood and water can’t flow together at the same time,” a warning that if Pakistan does not prevent bloodshed on Indian soil then his government would divert the Indus River that flows from Indian-controlled Kashmir. Still, for all the posturing and warnings, India has remained committed to the Indus Water Treaty.
The situation is less settled for Afghanistan, from which many rivers originate and then flow into neighboring countries. It has signed only one bilateral treaty, the Helmand River Water Treaty of 1973, with Iran on the sharing of water from that river. The Helmand River Water Treaty stipulates that roughly one-third of the river’s…
