*2.1. Kunduz River Basin*

The Kunduz River is one of the main tributaries of the Amu Darya. It originates from the North side of the Hindukush Mountain and flows through the wide lowlands of Baghlan to finally join the main Amu Darya stream in Qala-i-Zal area (Figure 2). The Kunduz watershed has an area of 28,024 km2, which is 4.5% of the country [19] and about 1.9% of the population of the country live in the River Basin [20]. The KRB covers the mountainous area of the Hindukush, with elevation ranging from up to 4000 m a.s.l. in the upper, Southern parts of the Basin. Lowland areas are about 600 m a.s.l. in Baghlan and 400–350 m a.s.l. in Kunduz provinces. The soils of the KRB are characterized by Palaeogene and Neogene sediments and covered by Loess deposits about 30 m to more than 100 m thickness in the center. Alluvial deposits consist of gravel, sands, and silt spread around floodplain in the basin. The area adjacent to the mountains are covered by coarse deposits of gravel, pebble, cobble, and other detritus deposits [21,22]. The higher altitude areas in the basin are partly used for rain-fed agriculture, but they mostly consist of deforested areas [23]. The flood plains consist of highly fertile medium drained soils with good agricultural land, which comprises the main economic center of the basin [24].

Arable land covers 38% (10,344 km2) of the total area of the KRB (28,024 km2). The Takhar province has more arable land as compared to the Kunduz and Baghlan provinces. Bamyan province is located in the high mountain area of the KRB and it has the least arable land [23]. The main crops cultivated in the arable area of the KRB are wheat, maize, barely, and rice. The crops are mostly planted during March to May and harvesting during July to September [25]. Watermelon, melon, potatoes, and onions are the main vegetables crops. Apples, grapes, berries, and peaches are the major fruits, and Cotton is the major industrial crop. There is an increasing number of pistachio- and almond plantations grown in the KRB.

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) conducted qualitative and quantitative investigations on climate change impacts on the agriculture sector in Afghanistan. The results presented a significant reduction in crops production, which was likely due to a decrease of precipitation and rising temperatures within the North-East agro-climatic zone that covered the KRB (e.g., 10–20% reduce in wheat) [25].

**Figure 2.** Main tributaries and locations of hydrologic stations and stream gauges within the Kunduz River Watershed.
