Dr. Yasin, a geologist working on mineral resources in the region, says that if lithium is called the gold of the 21st century, it would not be out of place. Because lithium is needed in everything from household utensils to ships and from pacemakers to mobile laptop batteries in the human heart.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban is facing security and economic problems, as well as the problem of protecting and properly mining natural minerals worth 30 billion dollars. In Afghanistan, there are lithium reserves called the gold of the 21st century, which the whole world, especially China, is looking at. In January this year, the Afghan Taliban foiled an attempt by some Chinese nationals to smuggle lithium.
As soon as Russia came to Afghanistan, it started exploring the mineral deposits there. For the first time, during the geological survey in 1984, Russia found out that there are vast deposits of lithium in Afghanistan, but this information remained a secret until the Afghan government started working after the arrival of the American coalition forces.
According to the information listed on the website of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan, due to the civil war of 1992, all the records and maps of the Afghanistan Geological Survey were removed from the directorate of the department under the direction of Dr. Mirak Barkhan and stored in the homes of the employees of the Afghanistan Geological Survey. Later in the year 2001, all these records were handed over to the Directorate of Geological Survey of Afghanistan.
Thus, in 2004, after the joint efforts of US Geological Survey (USGS) and Afghan Geological Survey (AGS) explored this record, the world came to know that there are lithium deposits in Afghanistan.
In 2007, a three-dimensional record of underground minerals was collected by the British Bomber to detect underground deposits. In 2009, a team from Iraq arrived in Afghanistan under the guidance of the US Department of Defense Pentagon and prepared a report regarding these mineral reserves and presented it to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai. A special review of lithium reserves was presented in this report.
In 2010, Afghan and American experts took this work further and in 2010, 24 different places were identified in the 34 provinces of Afghanistan where there was an abundance of minerals and it was found that lithium deposits are also present in many provinces.
In the light of the same reports, China signed several agreements with the former Afghan government, one of which was for working on copper deposits in the Afghan province of Logar. In 2008, two Chinese companies made this agreement for 30 years for three billion dollars.
Why is lithium important?
Dr. Yasin, a geologist working on mineral resources in the region, says that if lithium is called the gold of the 21st century, it would not be out of place. Because lithium is needed in everything from household utensils to ships and from pacemakers to mobile laptop batteries in the human heart.
Speaking to Voice of America, he said that the power of machines in the world, i.e. battery, is impossible without lithium and now the vehicles are also powered by charging batteries and the use of lithium is key. More lithium is going to be needed.
Where is the lithium?
There is a lithium triangle in the world known as the “Lithium Triangle” and it is located in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. But Afghanistan is now also being counted in the lithium triangle. In 2019, a document titled “Mining Sector Road Map 2019” was handed over to former Afghan President Dr. Ashraf Ghani by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. This document stated that there are three trillion dollars worth of minerals in Afghanistan.
According to this document, in addition to two thousand seven hundred kilograms of gold, two billion metric tons of iron and three million metric tons of copper, there are more than four million metric tons of rare earth minerals in Afghanistan. Includes lithium and uranium.
Geologist Dr. Yasin said that lithium and other minerals are available across the Afghan border. According to him, “After confirmed research in Afghanistan, it has been found that there are large lithium deposits in the border mountains of Nuristan, Kunar and Badakhshan. And this is probably the region associated with the Chitral mountain range and there are reports. That there are traces of lithium here too.”
Are lithium reserves being mined in Afghanistan?
In this regard, we contacted Humayun, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of the interim government of the Afghan Taliban and asked him questions, but he refrained from answering despite the support he received.
However, local sources said that in the areas where lithium is present, the Taliban are protecting these reserves and no mining work is seen anywhere. Coal mining is in full swing here and there, but lithium mining is not so common and easy.
There is no telling if someone is secretly working on lithium in Afghanistan’s remote and sparsely populated province of Nuristan. This is the reason why efforts are being made to stop the smuggling of lithium.
There were also some reports that China was trying to access lithium in Afghanistan, but Kannada businessmen said that the movement of Chinese nationals has been very limited in the current security situation.
It should be noted that in the past, Chinese engineers worked on vast deposits of copper in the Logar province of Afghanistan
