The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that since the beginning of 2024, it has implemented 157 drinking water projects in Afghanistan.
Kabul 24: According to the spokesperson of this institution, these projects have provided access to clean drinking water for more than 633 thousand people.
Omid al-Rahman Fazil, the spokesperson of UNICEF in Afghanistan, said: “We have built 157 water supply networks in Afghanistan, all of which operate using solar energy and gravity, and about 633,000 people have gained access to drinking water.”
Successive droughts and the reduction of underground water levels in different parts of the country have made the lives of citizens face serious challenges.
Yadgar, one of the residents of Jawzjan Province, who has been affected by these droughts, says that he spends 200 Afghani a day to buy water.
Azizullah, another resident of Jawzjan, says: “We pay 20 Afghanis for three bushels. Some days we find this cost, some days we don’t. Our request is to cooperate with us to access water.”
The head of the United Nations Deputy Mission (UNAMA) warned in the fourth meeting of the Security Council on Afghanistan that Kabul’s underground water resources may be completely depleted by 2030.
Roza Otunbayeva said in this meeting: “Communities are facing problems to access water. In the city of Kabul, with a population of more than 5 million people, groundwater may run out completely by 2030. “These pressures will have the strongest impact on women and children.”
Despite these warnings, the officials of the Islamic Emirate have announced plans such as the construction of canals, check dams and large dams in different parts of the country to manage the water shortage crisis.
