Groundwater levels in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, 2004-2013

Abstract

In July 2004, the Afghanistan Geological Survey initiated a water-level monitoring network in the Kabul Basin, Afghanistan. At that time, the Afghanistan Geological Survey was rebuilding its basic capabilities, with assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey, after the country had endured more than 30 years of political upheaval as a result of military invasion and civil war. Data collection, in a country where environmental data collection is difficult, at times hazardous, and data collection networks are rare, is now in the 10th year of the effort. The water-level monitoring network of the Afghanistan Geological Survey is valuable in that it allows for monitoring of groundwater resources in the capitol city of Afghanistan, which has seen a tremendous population growth in the last decade. The monitoring network that has resulted from the partnership of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Afghanistan Geological Survey can serve as a model for similar networks in other population centers in a country where utilization of natural resources is important in the Nation's endeavors for economic and political stability.