Future Directions: Increasingly frequent droughts are causing tension between Afghanistan and Iran over control of surface water resources. The Helmand River is a particular source of discontent between the two countries, with each claiming that the other takes more water than they have the right to under a 1973 water-sharing agreement. According to Iran, Afghanistan’s two hydroelectric dams have reduced water flows across the border, reduced its share of water from the river and damaged the environment. Afghanistan, meanwhile, contends that Iran is drawing more than the 26 cubic metres per second it is allocated under the agreement, by diverting water into man-made lakes. Click here to read more (external link).