Strategy chalked to safeguard mountains

KABUL (SW) – Afghanistan on Wednesday joined the world to mark the International Mountain Day and announce forming a strategy to safeguard them.

Addressing the moot on Wednesday, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, the Ministry of Water and Electricity, and the National Environment Protection Agency underlined the need for comprehensive policy to safeguard the mountains in the country.

Sultan Mehmood Mehmodi, director water management at the MoWE, said during the rages of war for years, mountains have been abused and exploited in terms of mining and other abuses in the country. He said Afghanistan has plenty of mountains safeguarding the country from natural disasters, hence there is a need to devise comprehensive strategy to protect them.

He added the mountains’ economic, social and environmental values have been badly tarnished.

Hashmatullah Ghafori, director natural resources at MAIL, told the moot the mountains are Afghanistan’s asset. He mentioned up to 80 per cent of drinking water have their sources in mountains, and the mountains play key role in ensuring food security as well.

Up to 70 per cent of Afghanistan is made up of mountains, and up to 90 per cent of forests in the country are in the mountains. Afghans rely heavily in economic terms on the mountains. Up to 80 per cent of the wildlife lives in these mountains.

ENDS