Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

Dasht-e-Nawar Flamingo and Waterfowl Sanctuary, Ghazni Province, Southern Afghanistan
The.source.of.most.of.Afghanistan’s.surface.water.is.
winter.snow.falling.at.high.elevations..Freitag.(1971).
argues.that.the.long.period.of.summer.drought.limits.
Afghanistan’s. vegetation. much. more. than. does.
mean.annual.precipitation..Vegetation.flourishes.
in.areas.receiving.summer.monsoon.rains.
There.are.eight.water.basins.flowing.radially.out.
from.the.Hindu.Kush.System..Three.join.the.Indus.
River.in.Pakistan.while.the.other.five.have.no.outflow.
and.dry.up.in.closed.basins.either.inside.or.outside.
the.country..Coad.(1981).provides.the.following.
information.on.Afghanistan’s.hydrologic.basins:
•. Kabul.River.Basin—The.Kabul.River.arises.in.the.
Paghman.Mountains.west.of.Kabul.and.joins.
the.Indus.at.Attock.350.km.downstream..Major.
tributaries.are.the.Panjshir,.Laghman,.Logar.and.
Kunar.Rivers..
•. Chamkani.(=.Kurram).River.Basin—the.Chamkani.
River.arises.in.the.Safed.Kho.south.of.Jalalabad.
and.flows.southeast.for.320.km.before.reaching.
the.Indus.in.Pakistan.
•. Zhob-Gowmal.Basin—the.Gowmal.River.arises.
in.Paktika.Province.and.flows.south-southeast.
into.Pakistan.where.it.joins.the.Zhob.River.and.
flows.into.the.Indus..
•. Pishin. Lora. Basin—the. Pishin. Lora. arises.
in. Pakistan. in. the. Toba. Kakar. Range. and.
flows. southwest. for. about. 400. km. through.
Afghanistan.before.re-entering.Pakistan.and.
flowing.into.the.Hamun-i-Lora.
•. Helmand-Siestan. Basin—The. Helmand. River.
arises.in.the.Koh-i-Baba.Range.not.far.from.the.
source.of.the.Kabul.River..It.flows.southwest.for.
1,300.km.before.turning.north.and.emptying.
into. marshes. and. salt. flats. of. the. Hamuni-Helmand,.
mostly. in. Iran.. The. Helmand. is.
Afghanistan’s.largest.basin.and.drains.about.
40%.of.the.country’s.area..
•. Hari.Rud.Basin—the.Hari.Rud.arises.in.Bamiyan.
Province.and.flows.west.for.490.km,.passing.
Herat,. before. turning. north. to. form. the.
Afghanistan-Iran.border.
•. Murgab.Basin—The.Murgab.River.arises.in.the.
north-western.Hindu.Kush.and.flows.west.then.
north.into.Turkemenistan.where.it.dries.up.near.
Merv..
•. Amu.Darya.Basin—the.Amu.Darya.(Oxus).River.
arises.in.the.Pamirs.near.the.Chinese.border.as.
the.Pamir.and.Wakhan.Rivers..The.Amu.Darya.
forms.the.northern.border.of.Afghanistan.for.
1,300.km.before.it.flows.into.Turkmenistan..At.
one.time,.it.flowed.into.the.Aral.Sea,.but.it.now.
dries.up.in.the.delta..Numerous.rivers.flow.north.
into.the.Amu.Darya.from.the.northern.Hindu.
Kush..
Afghanistan. is. particularly. susceptible. to. global.
warming. and. its. effects. on. precipitation. and.
snowmelt.patterns.because.almost.all.its.water.is.
derived.from.precipitation.falling.within.the.country.
rather.than.flowing.in.from.surrounding.countries.
(UNEP.2003a).
14 An Output of the National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment