GARDEZ (SW) – A number of residents of Paktia say that due to the lowering of the water level, all the wells in the area of “Askari Family”, “Minah University” and other parts of the city of Gardiz, the center of Paktia, have dried up and they do not have access to drinking water.
At least 500 families live in Askari Family area, and the only well where the residents of this area used to get their drinking water has dried up.
The residents of Askari Family area say that the Department of Development and Rural Development of Paktia has temporarily built a half-inch-water line for the families in this area, which is not enough to meet their needs, and they have to wait for hours to get water from this tap.
Jalaluddin, a resident of the area, says: “It does not meet the needs of 500 families. Here, many children have jugs in their hands and come to get water until 8 or 10 o’clock at night but they wait for their turn empty handed. Some houses had deep wells that reached up to 50 or 60 meters but they have all dried up.”
According to the residents of the Askari Family area, the water in this area is drying up or is covered with worms and is not drinkable.
Adel, another resident of Askari Family area, says that due to the lack of water, his children are suffering from skin diseases. He adds: “The lack of drinking water has become a very serious problem for the residents of Askari Family area. The water is dirty and even causes disease. It kills children.”
The residents of Askari Family area still say that they are not able to dig a well and want more attention from the authorities.
The officials of the Gardiz water supply network ask the institutions to cooperate with them to solve the water shortage problem.
Vahidullah Sabavon, director of the Gardiz water supply network, says that the underground water level in some parts of the city has dropped by five meters, and because of this, some wells have dried up. He added that due to the lack of funds, he cannot address the problem of water scarcity in these areas.
Sabavon said: “Certainly, the people of Askari Family, Mina University and other areas of Gardiz city that are related to us, want us to solve the water problem, but we don’t have that much budget. We have collected the lists and provided them to the center. Officials and international aid institutions must solve people’s problems.”
Decreasing the level of underground water in different parts of Afghanistan is one of the biggest challenges for the citizens, which if not controlled, will cause an increase in various diseases or even death.
ENDS
