KABUL (SW): Health experts believe lack of proper sanitation and canalization is adversely affecting the quality of ground and surface water that can led to cancer among other diseases.
Dr. Mir Wais, expert on public health, told Salam Watandar that the chemical substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus and others are mixing into the ground and surface water in all urban centers and rural parts of the country. He said the capital city Kabul, and all major cities lack proper sanitation systems, which is the core of the problem. He said heavy metals are also polluting the water sources, which causes serious skin problems, abdominal complications and nerves system disorders.
Khalilur Rahman, a Kabul resident, said in this regard the sewage water is a problem citizens like him have been facing for years. He added when it rains, situation gets worst. The strong and irritating smell of the sewerage water makes it impossible to walk through the affected areas, he added.
For years, locals in Kabul have been managing the sewerage issue with self-style underground tanks that store the waste water, and is later collected through sewerage tankers. But, not many such underground tanks are up to the standards that could stop the waste water from mixing with the ground water.
The issue is not limited to the capital Kabul. Farishta Popalzai, a resident of Kandahar province, told Salam Watandar that the dwellers in this southern province are equally frustrated due to the pollution of surface and ground water. She noted skin problems and stomach disorders get quite common during summer due to polluted water.
Meanwhile, Riaz Darmal, director for environment protection and canalization at the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs, informed that the government is working on a $ 4 million project to install a water filter plant in Kabul’s Kher Khana neighborhood. He lamented that there is no proper sanitation system in Afghanistan that could separately process water from kitchen and sewerage water.
Criticizing housing developers, Darmal said owners of many residential projects release sewerage water during night into canals meant for rain water. He vowed a comprehensive strategy for sewerage water management in major urban centers such as Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Jalal Abad cities is in sight, and it would be implemented in coming four years.
Bashir Dodyal, an environmentalist, lamented that foreign aid agencies invested heavily in many development and reconstruction projects, but nothing fundamental has been done to address the issue of sanitation and sewerage. He urged the Afghan government to pay serious attention to this issue.
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