Karez Technologies

Afghanistan emits a negligible share of global GHGs at 0.06%, but is the sixth most affected country by climate change. In fact, Afghans are just as likely to be displaced internally by climate-related phenomena as they are by armed conflict. Drought created nearly 375,000 IDPs in 2018 and water scarcity has intensified since then. Droughts could become a yearly occurrence across large swathes of the country by 2030, portending trouble for an economy which remains agrarian at heart. Host and displaced communities need to adapt to these extreme weather patterns by developing lasting homes and livelihoods. 

This sea change must take place on what will inevitably be a very tight budget. GDP declined by 21% in 2021 and by a further 4% in the following year. Many large international donors and agencies have slowed commitments as they struggle to match their principles with practice. “We must now make an appalling choice between staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people and standing by the norms and principles we are duty-bound to uphold” (UNAMA, 2023). But climate finance might yet emerge from both sides. “Climate change could provide an entry point for engagement with the de facto Taliban government in a desecuritized and depoliticised setting. It is one of the few issues the international community and the Taliban government actually agree on” (Chatham House, 2022). 

The need to combat drought by irrigating effectively presents problems at the technical level. The uses of canal irrigation and pump technology have limitations. One option which has become underappreciated is the ancient karez-based water system. Afghans historically farmed on alluvial fans at the foot of valleys. Those fields were often irrigated with karezs. A karez, or qanat, is a sloping underground tunnel which transports groundwater from hillsides to villages and fields by force of gravity. This system exhibits ‘excellent craftmanship, as well as an extraordinary cultural technical achievement balancing out the environment, economics, and gravity’ (Azami et al, 2020). Karez-based technologies have numerous benefits including their dual potable and irrigation supply and the absence of evaporation. But this ancient system of irrigation has fallen into decline in Afghanistan. 

The decline in the number of active karezs in Afghanistan began with the mid-century Helmand Valley Project. “The initiative had the aim of enhancing the national economy of Afghanistan through the agricultural exploitation of the Helmand and Arghandab river valleys and involved the construction in the early 1950s of two major dams and many irrigation canals” (Stinson et al, 2016). Dams disrupted karezs downstream and continue to do so. A dam was constructed on the Pashdan river in 2016, when builders filled the cut-off wall at an average depth of 20 metres underground to prevent seepage. All karezs downstream dried up. Rising inactivity elsewhere can be linked to drought cycles, intentional destruction during periods of conflict, and the use of pumps. But only wealthier farmers have access to pumps and this dynamic does not benefit displaced and host communities, and should be addressed. 

Karez Technologies aims to regenerate Herat’s catchment of inactive karezs to support sustainable living for host and IDP communities. The team will start by drawing on available satellite imagery, adopting the process of analysis used in geospatial archaeology, mapping out all distinguishable inactive karezs in Afghanistan’s Herat province. “An active karez can be recognised in satellite imagery by a linear pattern of clearly defined ‘dots’ or ‘rings’ in the landscape. These features indicate the locations of hand-dug underground tunnels that can be several kilometres in length. The ‘dots’ themselves represent shadows from sunlight cast inside maintenance and upcast shafts.” But the shafts on inactive karezs are often filled-in and less well defined on satellite imagery (Stinson, et al. 2016). The team behind Karez Technologies includes mapping experts who use remotely sensed, multispectral images and process the images to define areas of interest for further investigation through further appropriate technologies or site visits. A professional mapping function is vital to a solution of this nature. UNESCO’s 2007-11 rehabilitation of Karezs in the Northern Governates of Iraq finished three years later than planned because of “a lack of knowledge of the location and nature of karezs in the region”.

The management team convenes to select which karezs to regenerate. Then the project manager recruits one project coordinator per two karezs. The coordinators are skilled in basic agricultural and construction work, but receive one-month training programs on karez specifics and toolkits where local provisions fall short. Thereafter, the coordinators are responsible for hiring regeneration team members from host and IDP communities in Herat. Coordinators then deliver structured training to team members on karez regeneration methods. The community’s ability to operate and maintain the karez-based water systems is essential to the long-term success of Karez Technologies. 

The regeneration of karezs involves a series of simple, effective processes. On-the-ground teams repair, clean, and extend the structures. Ponds and dams are built to store rainwater. Lessons on the technical merits of this ancient mode of water management are given to the heads of households. Merits include low exposure to atmospheric pollution and no aquifer depletion. Crucially, as far as the MIT Solve climate mandate is concerned, it should be noted that Karez Technologies is, after all, a zero-carbon technology which gives villagers access to water in a future beset by water scarcity. 

Karez Technologies is a 360-degree solution which supports low carbon homes and commerce in one of the harshest environments in Asia. It not only provides potable water for drinking but also irrigates saffron crops. The team’s saffron strategy starts with examining soil degradation and site requirements in the vicinity of each karez before implementing a program of land preparation, corm preparation, planting of saffron corm, immediate care after corm planting, real-time monitoring of irrigation, saffron corm thinning, weed and pest control, breaking of soil crusts, the harvesting of saffron flowers, post-harvest processing including separation of stigmas from saffron flowers, drying of saffron, and packaging and storing of saffron (DACAAR, 2011). 

Karez Technologies improves the quality of life for IDP and host communities in Herat by giving homes access to drinking water, irrigated land, food crops, and income streams. Conditions in IDP camps are poor at present and access to basic necessities is limited. For example, there are 4,581 households in the Kahdestan camp including 84 blocks, 503 tents, 1,234 makeshift tents, and 1,997 mud houses. And 4,000 households are stuck in the Shahrak-e-Sabz camp including 15 tents, 30 makeshift tents, and 11,002 mud houses (NRC, 2022). Karez Technologies meets the demand for basic necessities and sustainable living, thereby improving wellbeing. The team will measure impacts to quality of life during the technology’s lifespan by deploying a self-report questionnaire. The WHOQOL assesses four areas of quality of life, namely physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. 

Karez-based water systems have a unique potential to create social networks and foster positive relations between displaced people and their host community. “Karezs are usually operated by local communities, traditionally under a karezkhan specialist responsible for the construction and maintenance of the subsurface section; and a mirab (water master) overseeing surface distribution operations” (Azami et al, 2020). The brilliance of this technology is evidenced in the balance which it inspires. “In Islam, water management principles emphasise sustainability and equality” and constitute the defining principle to social organisation and local hierarchies (Stinson et al, 2016). 

The commitment of Karez Technologies to its beneficiaries can be gleaned from its design and operations. The team listened to stakeholders in Herat’s host and IDP communities before integrating their feedback into the solution’s design. The team also consulted with water management, government, and development experts in the province. To recap, Karez Technologies will regenerate Herat’s catchment of inactive karezs to support sustainable living for host and IDP communities. These beneficiary groups are involved in each stage of the solution and are integral to milestone accumulation. 

Karez Technologies will serve its beneficiaries by restoring the fragile ecosystem, thereby improving air, water, and land quality, and increasing their climate resilience. The team will do this by regenerating irrigations structures, rehabilitating large tracts of Herat’s degraded land, and reforesting hectares for the purpose of protecting this land from floods and other extreme weather patterns. Environmental impacts are measured against baseline data: tracked metrics will include water usage data through on-site measurement, and soil sampling on a comparative mapping basis. 

But, as mentioned, Karez Technologies will also serve its beneficiaries by generating reliable income streams for people of all backgrounds in Herat province. During the initial saffron cultivation phase, the team will form local and international networks to ensure there is a market for the produce. Saffron is an expensive crop and Karez Technologies will raise the GDP of Herat’s communities by adding hundreds of hectares of saffron yields to Herat’s capacity. The creation of a saffron-based social enterprise and commodity exchange is a hallmark of Karez Technologies. 

The Karez Technologies team is well-positioned to deliver this solution in Afghanistan because of its experience running community-led projects in the country. Team members come from the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), which developed Afghanistan’s first community-based advice centres in the most impoverished areas of Kabul and Baghlan from 2013-2016. Employing eight local staff and supported by 30 volunteers, the centres empowered women and gave beneficiaries access to justice. The project was scored with an A++ by UKAID for substantially exceeding expectations and excellent value for money. More recently, the charity equipped Kabul's IDPs with resources to reduce the COVID-19 impact by delivering WASH training and distributing hygiene kits. Herat-based Afghans and the Afghan diaspora have key personnel roles at Karez Technologies. 

Furthermore, Karez Technologies is well-positioned to manage risk inside Afghanistan. Political risk inheres within all Afghanistan-based projects at the moment because of restrictions on women’s freedom of movement and volatility in the policy landscape. But the team includes community members who can bridge any functional gaps in a pragmatic fashion. And female members of the team will observe Taliban edicts by, for example, travelling in the company of a mahram during field visits and other emergency missions. Security risks in Afghanistan are critical in the global context, but can also be managed. Domestic nationals face a serious threat of kidnapping in Afghanistan and sectarian violence is always a major concern in the country, but the team will mitigate the risk of kidnap by checking for third party awareness and being discrete when discussing itineraries (Risk: 2021).

The mapping expertise of Karez Technologies will ensure the solution is rolled out effectively. All mapping activities take place in consultation with target communities and with their active participation. The Karez Technologies team, whose experts recently developed a system for easy GIS, are already training Afghans to use the mapping technology. 

Karez Technologies is well-positioned to deliver a solution in a febrile country because of the team’s self-reflective ethos. The team’s learning approach is designed to question original theories, derive insights from experience, and engage project participants in a reflective dialogue. Karez Technologies will run quarterly reviews of progress reports written by the Afghanistan-based manager. These reports will contain questions like ‘How does Karez Technologies engage with the government such that there is an improvement in mutual trust, but not at the expense of Karez Technologies constitutional principles?’ and ‘How can Karez Technologies collaborate with the private sector inside Afghanistan to improve service delivery in Herat province going forwards?’ In addition, Karez Technologies will invite key project personnel, beneficiaries, select partners, representatives from MIT, and strategic government and industry partners to attend reflective workshops at the end of each year. Finally, Karez Technologies believes in the value of open-source learning and will publish mixed-media findings on a web-based platform in order to enhance the Afghanistan-related knowledge base. 

- The project delivery function has a long history of delivering solutions in Afghanistan. (acaa.org.uk)

- The mapping function is has a long history of creating maps that show policymakers, donors, and NGOs, where agricultural inputs will make the biggest difference. (globalmapaid.org)

- The Herat-based karez project is expected to enter the pilot stage within 2 months. 

10 - Afghan project beneficiaries involved in the design and development phases. 

Technical/legal/cultural - how to implement Karez Technologies at scale when water science, land rights, and policy is taken into consideration. 

Market - how to bring saffron production to market in a way that benefits the people of Afghanistan and supports the sustainability of Karez Technologies in the long-term. 

International Relations - how to use this project to support progress for the sake of the long-suffering Afghan people and their futures. 

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