BADAKHSHAN (SW): The villagers from different villages of Badakhshan move to Faizabad city on daily basis due to lack of living facilities, increased insecurity in their areas and in search of employment opportunities.
Ghulam Nabi Sarfaraz, head of Badakhshan Environment Agency, expressed concern over the increasing influx of villagers to the city of Faizabad – the center of Badakhshan, saying that every day the residents produce 100 tons of garbage, however, the municipality of Faizabad cannot even trash 40 tons per day.
According to Mr. Sarfaraz, the lack of regular planning for the migration of the villagers to the city has made Faizabad one of the most polluted cities in Afghanistan.
Sayed Omar Bahir, a local civil society activist in Badakhshan told Salam Watandar that the mass migration of villagers into the city of Faizabad, in addition to the environmental problems, has also created economic and social problems.
“All the green areas of Faizabad city have been turned into residential homes”, he said.
Salam Hafizi, the Director of Greenery and Cleanliness at Badakhshan Municipality blamed the influx of the villagers into the city for the increased production of waste, pollution, and accumulation of garbage in different parts of the city.
According to local officials in Badakhshan, the increasing insecurity, poverty, and unemployment in the villages has caused the villagers to move to the city in recent years.
ENDS
