SHEBERGHAN (SW) – Residents and officials in Aqcha district of Jawzjan district say that 90 % of water here is unfit for consumption.
Abdul Sattar Turkman, a resident of Aqcha district of Jawzjan, told Salam Watandar that the lack of clean water in this district has made it difficult for him and his family to carry on their daily life. He adds: “There is no water, a few kilometers from here water is coming from underground, it is bitter. We want water, we want help, there are problems here.”
The duration of droughts in Aqcha district has caused the residents of this district to face problems in providing drinking water. The residents of the district want the caretaker government and supporting institutions to establish a fresh water distribution network in this district.
Chari Bay, another resident of the district, says that the lack of electricity has also added to the difficulty of providing drinking water for the people in this district. He adds: “It is difficult and we bring water from Ghazanfar region. When the weather was hot, the water comes out. If not, we will sit for two or three hours, wondering when the solar system will turn on to get water.”
Due to the lack of access to the residents of the district, some local people in this district have been supplying water to the people in a limited manner using tankers.
Jamaluddin, the representative of the local people in the district, says that he transports water daily from village to village, which is 20 to 150 kilometers away, by tanker. He adds: “We have been distributing water for 40 days, we deliver two tankers of water every day. 14 thousand liters of water is 700 barrels. We distribute water to 1400 people daily. We distributed water to 56 thousand people in 40 days. In every village we go to 600 to 1000 people and each person’s share is a barrel of water.
However, the local officials of Aqcha district say that the problem of lack of drinking water in this district will be addressed by the central government and aid agencies.
Asadullah Ghazanfar, the governor of Aqcha district, says that 10% of the water in this district is usable, which is not enough to meet the water needs of the people, and the remaining 90% of the water in Aqcha district is not drinkable.
“These people are really facing problems,” he added. “Drought has been going on for three years, the rivers are dry, and 90% of the underground water in this district is unusable and only 10% is usable.”
Aqcha district of Jawzjan, with 35 villages and two semi districts, is one of the most populated districts of this province, whose residents are facing a shortage of drinking water due to droughts and drying up of lakes.
ENDS
