Jumpstarting strategic water resources protection from a changing global perspective : post-conflict management gaps and prospects in Afghanistan | |
| Author | Habib, Habibullah |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.EV-14-06 |
| Subject(s) | Climatic changes--Afghanistan Water resources development--Environmental aspects--Afghanistan |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Economic recovery and growth in post-conflict Afghanistan, which critically involves strategic water development for multi-sector use, has become one of the major focus areas for national development. Outstanding issues to be addressed include a strategic framework for the protection of water resources within Afghanistan including the Afghan part of the transboundary Amu Darya basin; interventions to alleviate the degraded state of Afghanistan’s water resources due to an interplay of anthropogenic and climatic pressures; and institutional arrangements whereby the human, agricultural, and industrial water needs are met sustainably in the long term. The dissertation furthers the work on the conceptual and methodological aspects of water protection with a focus on strengthening post-conflict water strategy and institutions in an arid milieu whilst discussing pertinent challenges and opportunities. The research methodology encompasses review of international journal and gray literature (which is particularly important, voluminous and numerous in this specific case of an academically understudied subject), analysis of Afghan water policy and institutions, analysis of novel sustainability frameworks and appraisal methodologies, and case reviews on global water strategy innovations. Lessons were highlighted from South Africa, a country of similar climatic and topographical circumstances to Afghanistan, in drawing a National Water Resource Strategy based on integrated water resources management (IWRM) wherein the idea of an ecological reserve, as determined by well-defined catchment management strategies, was introduced. Reflecting the Afghan situation in terms of climatic and anthropogenic pressures, lessons in adaptation and mitigation were highlighted from the Colorado River Basin(CRB)Water Supply and Demand Study which addressed the definition of current and future imbalances in the water supply and demand for the next half century. In terms of operationalizing sustainability appraisal, the novel features of the regional strategic environmental assessment(regional SEA or R-SEA)approach, as proposed based on Canadian experience, were highlighted. The outcomes of this research are presented in five parts, namely: (i) an up-to-date situationnaire of the Afghan water sector, (ii) discussion of sustainability from the water sector standpoint with a subsequent proposal of the conceptual framework for strategic post-conflict water protection in Afghanistan based on the synergy of IWRM and R-SEA, (iii) presentation and analysis of relevant global experience as empirical evidence for the proposed strategic framework, (iv) proposal and justification of a novel water strategy based on South African and Canadian methodological innovations, and (v) a discussion of perceived gaps and prospects. The role of extra-national actors in relevant policy interventions is considered catalytic despite criticisms of proposed regulations as being anachronistic to field realities. Therefore the view is maintained to practicable policies by accelerating policy learning in the country's water and environment sectors to encourage homegrown water strategy innovations. Demonstratively, mainstreaming IWRM and R-SEA coalescence will bridge institutional gaps for better feedback between local and national water stakeholders, providing a venue for improved delivery of water services to sustain post-conflict socioeconomic recovery and promote environmental stewardship. It is recognized due to present study that independent of prevailing implementational gaps and deficiencies in Afghanistan, and elsewhere, the scope for fundamental research to further develop allied methodologies for coupled IWRM and R-SEA in post-conflict water sector development still remains vitally important. |
| Year | 2014 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shipin, Oleg V.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Noble, Bram;Vilas Nitivattananon;Annachhatre, Ajit P.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship;Balk University Partnership Project; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2014 |