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Afghanistan has a 5000-year long irrigation history that has gone through many ups and downs. It also has a rich traditional system called the Mirab system for water distribution and routine and emergency maintenance. This indigenous system based on social relationship and arrangement is found to have evolved through time and has proved itself to be sustainable over the centuries. Currently, about 65% of the irrigation systems in the country still follow this Mirab system. The country also has the experiences of reviving from a period of war during which the irrigation infrastructures were destroyed and totally neglected. This paper presents an overview of Afghanistan's irrigation development history and the evolution of its irrigation institutions. It also outlines the experiences that the country has gathered in the endeavour of irrigation development and management during the different eras of history. Finally, based on these analyses, it also presents insights in the form of pointers that provide guidelines for sustainable development of irrigation systems.
