ZAHEDAN, Sistan-Baluchestan Prov. -- An informed source told IRNA here that the volume of water entering Iran's Hirmand River through Afghanistan was increased by about 50 cubic meters per second on Monday. The said source who spoke on condition of anonymity added, "at 4 P.M., Monday, about 41 cubic meters per second of Hirmand's water was being stored in semi-deep natural wells, 4.56 cubic meters of it per second flew in Sistan River, and a small amount of it was flowing in Parian River."

The managing director of Sistan-Baluchestan Region Water Company offered no explanation abut the details of Hirmand River water when he was contacted, but said that the increased volume of water in it is due to a few days of rain in Afghanistan's mountains, and the little flood that followed there.

Zabol Water and Sewage Managing Director Hossein-Ali Shahraki, too, told IRNA that the volume of incoming water that was 5.6 cubic meters on Sunday Dec 29, was increased three-fold on Monday.

He said that currently the water of Hirmand is quite muddy, which shows it is flood water of the past few days' heavy rains in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's Helmand water started flowing into Iran's Hirmand River in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, from the vicinity of that province's Zabol city, on December 15.

The flow of Hirmand River, which rises from Hindu Kush Mountain and flows into Kajaki Dam in Afghanistan, was temporarily restored by the Afghan government more than a month ago, but its immediate disruption triggered protests from Iran.

Under a 1972 accord, Afghanistan is obliged to release at least 26 cubic meters (910 cubic feet) of water a second.

The Taleban militants violated the deal during its 1994-2001 rule and blocked the water from flowing into Iran.

Afghan officials had earlier said that the water may have been blocked by the country's farmers who live on the banks of the Hirmand River which cuts through several miles of parched lands before reaching Iran. Afghanistan released Hirmand's water in October after its blockage since 1994, with Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah saying that the flow was "restored at the request of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, for only a short period of time, to show the government's Goodwill."

Sistan-Baluchestan Governor-General's Political and Security Affairs Deputy Danial Mollaie had earlier a fortnight ago announced that the volume of Hirmand River water had been decreased down to 3 to 4 cubic meters per second.

Mollaie who had been among Iranian officials who traveled to Qandahar to discuss the matter with Afghan officials in October said, "the governors of both Qandahar and Helmand provinces of Afghanistan were convinced that a ration of the Kajaki Dam's water should be flowing toward Iran, based on the water level in that dam.

Following five years of severe draught in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan Province and a few other southern and central provinces, water started flowing in Hirmand River toward the end of October, but it was blocked again after a 14 day flow, during which some 11 million cubic meters of water was reserved in the region's natural semi-deep wells for drinking purpose.