TEHRAN - Iranian Ambassador to Kabul Hassan Kazemi Qomi says that Iranian experts have visited Afghanistan's Deh Ravod for the first time amid ongoing efforts by Tehran to settle a water dispute with Kabul. Qomi, who is also a presidential envoy for Afghanistan, said the visit was aimed at finding a solution to the Iran-Afghanistan water dispute. "Our technical delegation is currently in Kabul, the visit has been done and we will receive its report soon," he said, according to Mehr News. In June, Kazemi Qomi said that the Taliban have agreed to the visit of Iranian experts to the Kajakai Dam.In recent months, Iran and Afghanistan have been locked in a dispute over shared water resources, with Iran saying that the Taliban blocking Iran’s water share amid a water scarcity problem in Iran’s border regions. Based on the 1973 treaty, Afghanistan is legally obligated to allocate 820 million cubic meters of water from the Helmand River to Iran.However, Afghanistan has built dams on the 1150-kilometer-long river and changed its course.

The move has led the Hamoun wetland in the border province of Sistan-Baluchestan in southeastern Iran to greatly dry up.The locals’ livelihood is greatly dependent on the wetland which has been fed by the Helmand River for millions of years.

The water from the river is used for drinking and agriculture.

It is also a source of income for fishermen.During a visit to the border province of Sistan-Baluchistan on May 18, President Ebrahim Raisi warned the "rulers of Afghanistan" should take the issue of Iran's “water rights seriously".The warning followed a phone conversation between Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban administration, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian over several issues, including Iran’s share of water from the Helmand River.Amir Abdollahian requested the Taliban open the gates of the Kajaki Dam "so both the people of Afghanistan and Iran can be hydrated."