Developing the AquaInsight Tool: An Integrated Approach for Water Resources Management in Data Scarce Afghanistan

• Applicant: Fazlullah Akhtar, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556363739

This project aims to develop a comprehensive tool that integrates remote sensing and hydrological modeling to assess the water supply versus demand accurately, detect potential supply-demand gaps in data-scarce regions like Afghanistan and devise strategies to reduce these gaps. Afghanistan's lack of hydro-meteorological observations exemplifies the data scarcity issues of many developing countries. This scarcity leads to unreliable results, making it challenging to make informed decisions and implement effective water management strategies. By leveraging advanced remote sensing technologies and sophisticated hydrological models, the project aims to overcome these limitations, providing a more accurate assessment of water resources and demand. Therefore, this research serves as a blueprint for future studies in the Global South, with approaches and findings that could be adapted to address similar challenges in regions with limited data availability, contributing to global efforts in sustainable water resource management (WRM). These approaches are closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), addressing several critical areas, particularly SDGs 1, 2, 6, 12 and 13, with a specific emphasize on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). By addressing water resources challenges in data-scarce regions like Afghanistan, the proposed research will advance this critical goal. Additionally, these approaches will help suggest effective solutions to minimize water supply–demand gaps through various policy scenarios. Ultimately, the tool’s development will enhance the resilience of communities to foster the sustainability of land and water resources by enhancing productivity in both domains. The potential results of the proposed research will also assist policymakers by opening a pathway for investments to cope with future challenges caused by climate change impacts and a sharpening competition for water (local scale – transboundary basins) in data-scarce regions. To accomplish these goals, the following specific objectives have been outlined: Objective 1: To develop a tool capable of integrating hydrological models with remote sensing products for accurately assessing water resource availability and enabling the monitoring of water demand through remote sensing products. Objective 2: To simulate policy scenarios after calibration and validation of the developed tool to assess changes in water resources supply and demand over time and space. Objective 3: To enhance the tool's capabilities to monitor and assess the operational performance of irrigation systems, leveraging performance indicators, and enabling the identification of gaps and options for improvement in WRM in the long run for policy scenarios (focusing on irrigation development: intensification, optimization, range and future expansion of irrigation). Objective 4: Synthesizing measures on supply- and demand-side into integrated water management concepts embedded in policy scenarios.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants