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SHEBERGHAN (SW): Rising level of water in the Amu (Oxus) River has forced hundreds of families in Jawzjan province to vacate their homes.
Locals in the Qarqeen district are particularly affected by the rising level of water in the River. They are charging the government for not taking precautionary measures to safeguard residential areas and agricultural land facing the threat of flooding.
Abdul Khalique, a resident of the district told Salam Watandar that the levels of water in the River have been rising for the past two months now. He added that more than five hundred families have been displaced and hundreds of jeribs of agriculture land has also been damaged. “The locals are collecting ten and twenty afghanis from each home in the villages to buy sand bags for safety”, he lamented.
Mohammad Qul, another resident of the affected district said that many of the affected families who migrated to the Reg-e-Rawan area are now faced with shortage of water and food there. The locals are urging the government to take immediate steps to minimize the damage.
Commenting on the prevailing situation, Haleema Sadaf Karimi, member of the provincial council, said that the affected families are in deep troubles considering the dearth of food and the arrival of harsh winter. She feared the children in particular might get ill if not provided with food and shelter.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Raza Ghafoori, spokesman for the governor, has said that the provincial government lacked the resources to meet the needs of so many needy people. He added that study is underway for the construction of some 30 kilometers of sidewalls for the Oxus River in a bid to prevent the damage from recurring.
ENDS
