KABUL (SW): The drought threatens some parts of the country, especially Ghor and Badghis provinces.; however, officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MoAIL) has rejected the drought saying only these areas faced a shortage of drinking water and agricultural crops, not a complete drought.
Akbar Rustami, spokesperson for the MoAIL told Salam Watandar that shortage of water is expected in the current year; however, the Ministry has plans to provide wheat to the needy people and the other government institutions will provide the drinking water to people in the areas facing a shortage of drinking water.
Rustami said that more than 73,000 metric tons of wheat have been stored for emergency situations in the storage facilities of Nimrooz, Badghis, Helmand, Ghazni, Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar, and Kabul.
Moreover, this year, 30 percent of the development budget of the MoAIL which is about 30 billion AFN, will be spent on the implementation of irrigation projects across the country, Rustami added.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Aslam Sias, Deputy Minister for the Natural Disaster and Emergency Affairs said that in addition to helping the affected people, a committee has been established to investigate the consequences of the drought.
A number of farmers in Ghor and Badghis provinces told Salam Watandar that due to a shortage of water, they are selling their animals for cheaper prices. However, Rustami informed that 2000 metric tons of grass have been purchased to support the needy livestock owners in different provinces, especially in Ghor and Badghis provinces where drought has hit the most.
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