National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA)

The National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA) is a critical Afghan government agency responsible for managing the nation’s water resources and infrastructure, with which we at the Society of Afghan Engineers formalized a strategic partnership in 2021 to provide high-level technical advisory services, develop national water codes, and collaborate on sustainable renewable energy and irrigation projects.

Background

At the Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE), we consider the sustainable management and development of Afghanistan’s water resources to be paramount to the nation’s future. To advance this vision, we have actively pursued strategic partnerships with key government bodies, including the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA). Our relationship with NWARA represents our dedication to enhancing Afghan engineering capacities and delivering high-level technical advisory services to critical infrastructure sectors.

Formalizing Our Collaboration

Our Afghan Government Agencies Subcommittee (AGAS) has worked diligently to bridge the gap between our extensive network of international engineering experts and Afghanistan’s public institutions. On June 3, 2021, our AGAS Chairperson, Mr. Rafaat Ludin, met with His Excellency Deputy Minister Basiri of NWARA to officially formalize our collaboration. During this meeting, a joint agreement was reached to structure our future cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). While the unexpected collapse of the government later that year left many of our drafted MOUs unsigned, the comprehensive framework we developed with NWARA remains a blueprint for our ongoing commitment to Afghanistan’s water sector.

Key Areas of Technical and Educational Support

Our discussions with NWARA leadership yielded a robust, multifaceted plan for collaboration aimed at modernizing infrastructure and building professional capacity. We tentatively agreed to partner with NWARA in the following six critical areas:

  • Renewable Energy Water Projects: We plan to jointly work on pilot projects utilizing solar-powered water lifting stations in the Sorobi and Murghab rivers, recognizing the enormous potential of the Murghab river for such initiatives.
  • Irrigation System Design: We committed to supporting NWARA by reviewing and providing expert recommendations on a design manual for irrigation systems that the Authority was preparing.
  • Strategic Planning: We agreed to lend our strategic expertise to review and recommend enhancements for NWARA’s comprehensive 5-year strategic plan.
  • Water Infrastructure Guidelines: Our society pledged to support the integration of rigorous Water Infrastructure Guidelines into the national Afghanistan building codes.
  • Water Supply Code Development: We offered our technical assistance to help develop a dedicated Afghanistan Water Supply code.
  • Capacity Building and Training: To ensure long-term sustainability, we agreed to organize and lead training workshops for Afghan professional engineers. These workshops were designed to cover watershed management and the engineering of water supply and irrigation dams using locally available materials, such as soil and rocks.

Strengthening Ties Through Dedicated Leadership

To facilitate these ambitious goals and ensure seamless communication with NWARA and other agencies, we appointed Engineer Habib Rahman Rahmat Mayar as our official SAE Representative in Kabul in May 2021. Engineer Mayar brought invaluable insight to this role, as he had been actively working as an Electro-Mechanical Engineer at NWARA since December 2020. His unique position allowed us to deeply understand the Authority’s needs and actively pursue our shared objectives to serve the people of Afghanistan.