JALALABAD CITY (SW) – Due to the vulnerability of Afghanistan’s agricultural sector to climate change, a number of farmers in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province say that thousands of jeribs of land have remained uncultivated this year due to a water shortage.
Nazir Ahmad, a farmer in Chaparhar, explained that springs and other water sources in the district have dried up. He adds: “Every time we plant crops and they start to grow, they wither due to the lack of water. We urge the government to create water reserves for us.”
Another farmer, Marjan Gul, states that because of the water shortage, he has left some parts of his land uncultivated. “We request the Islamic Emirate authorities to build dams in this district and release water according to the required amount. If this continues, even our wells will be affected.”
These farmers have called on the Nangarhar Department of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock to build water reservoirs in Chaparhar to address the water shortage issue.
Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country to climate change, and these changes cause an annual loss of $280 million to the country’s agricultural sector.
Officials from the Nangarhar Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock say that due to climate change, groundwater levels have been decreasing in several districts of the province.
Ajmal Subhani, the media officer for the directorate, says that construction of water reservoirs in Chaparhar has begun to tackle the water shortage. He adds, “We are working to categorize these districts. Some have more water, while others, like Chaparhar and Rodat, have less or no water. With the help of aid organizations, the construction of water reservoirs in Chaparhar is ongoing.”
According to the agriculture directorate, there are 225 karezes (underground water channels) in the province, some of which have dried up due to drought and the digging of deep wells.
Ewaz Khan Shirzad, an agricultural expert in Nangarhar, says that climate change, excessive water consumption, and the digging of deep wells are the main reasons for the water shortage in the province. “In areas where water is scarce, farmers are overusing it. Farmers should build small water storage systems on their land or use drip irrigation systems to help mitigate this issue.”
In recent years, climate change has caused damage not only to the agricultural sector but also to other parts of Afghanistan’s economy. According to figures from the National Environmental Protection Agency, the country needs $2.6 billion every year to combat the effects of climate change.
