‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎148r] (294/949)

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Goldsmid s award. It follows, therefore, that Persia has no right to alienate to
any o.her Power the water rights thus acquired without the consent of Aghan-
is tan,
5 . I cannot close this award without a word of warning to both countries
concerned. The past history of the Helmand river in Seistan shows that it has
always been subject to sudden and important changes in its course which have,
trom time to time, diverted the whole river into a new channel, and rendered
useless all the then existing canal systems. Such changes are liable to occur
m future, and great care should, therefore, be exercised in the opening out of
new canals, or the enlargement of old canals leading from the Helmand. Unless
tins is done mth proper precaution, it may cause the river to divert itself entire
ly at such points, and cause great loss to both countries. This danger applies
equally to Afghanistan and Persia.
Draft B.
Preliminary remarks.
Paragraphs 1 to 7 as in draft A.
_ Frederick Goldsmid’s award on the water question was as follows :—
“ It is to be clearly understood that no works are to be carried out on either
side calculated to interfere with the requisite supply of irrigation on both
banks of the Helmand”. Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
in his capacity as the final confirming authority of that award, further laid
down in 1873 as follows :—“ In our opinion the clause referred to in the award
cannot be understood as applying either to existing canals or to such old and
disused canals as the Afghan Government may wish to put in proper repair,
nor would it interfere with the excavation of new canals, provided the requisite
supply of water for irrigation on the Persian side is not diminished ”.
It is hardly necessary to point out that this ruling of Her Majesty’s Secre
tary of State for Foreign Affairs, while defining certain limits for Afghan
works, does not restrict the Afghan right, stated bv Sir Frederick Goldsmid
to a requisite supply of water also for Afghan cultivation.
9 . The above award is so definite that it is unnecessary to make any
attempt to define it further, except on one particular point. This award pro
vides that Persia has a right to a requisite supply of water for irrigation. In
order to prevent future misunderstanding, it only remains to define what
amount of water fairly represents a requisite supply for Persian requirements.
10 . From the careful and exhaustive measurements, observations, and
enquiries made by this Mission in Seistan, the following facts have been clearly
established:— J
(a) Seistan suffers more from excess than deficiency of water. Far more
loss is caused by damage done to land and crops, year after year, by floods than
is caused by want of water for irrigation.
(b) In only very few exceptional abnormal years of low river has any
question of sufficiency of water arisen in Seistan, and then Afghan Seistan has
suffered equally with Persian Seistan. Moreover, questions as to the sufficiency
of water only prove serious when the spring crop cultivation is concerned when
the river is at its lowest, i.e., between the autumn and spring equinoxes, yet
it has been ascertained that only in 3 out of the past 35 years has there been
any serious deficiency of water in Seistan during that season. It is necessary,
therefore, first to consider water requirements during the season of spring crops!
Any settlement based on the requirements of that season will meet the case of
the remainder of the year also.
t i c J After carefully calculating the normal volume of the Helmand river
during the period between the autumn equinox and the spring equinox, it has
been clearly ascertained that one-third of the water which now reaches Seistan
at Bandar-i-Kamal Khan would amply suffice for the proper irrigation of all