Water rights and conflict resolution processes in Afghanistan: The case of the Sar-i-Pul sub-basin

Over the past decade, research in Afghanistan has paid a great deal of attention to justice and dispute resolution processes related to civil and criminal issues. However, studies dealing with water-related conflicts have been extremely limited. This research is an attempt to fill this gap, and focuses specifically on water rights and the resolution of conflicts related to water-sharing at different hydraulic and social levels within the Sar-i-Pul sub-basin in northwestern Afghanistan. In doing so, it examines the on-going gulf between actual water management practices and the recent “good water governance” models that have been enshrined in the 2009 Water Law.