Severe water shortage displaces hundreds of Faryab families

MAIMANA -- Drought and the excessive use of underground water for irrigation have dried up wells in Faryab province, resulting in a shortage of potable water and forcing hundreds of families to relocate, say residents.

"Unfortunately, due to water shortages, over 400 families in Khwaja Sabz Posh district and some villages in the provincial capital [Maimana] have reportedly left their homes and relocated to other areas this year," said Mohammad Nasim Nazarbek, 55, a community representative in Maimana city.

"Some wells have dried up, and the water supply system built by an aid agency in Maimana's Damqol area has broken down. We have repeatedly reached out to local authorities, asking them to address the issue, but we have not received any attention," he said July 15.

To address water shortages, incomplete intake dams in Faryab's Almar and Dahandara surburbs need to be completed, and the dam in Khesht-e-Pul area should be constructed, he told Salaam Times.

Arbab Nazar, 51, a former resident of Shorqol in Khwaja Sabz Posh district, said he had to leave his village for Maimana city three months ago.

Officials have been ignoring locals' requests to deal with the water shortage, he said.

"I relocated my family to Maimana city in March because the closest source of drinking water was 7km away from where we lived. I could not fetch water every day, so we had to leave the village," he said on July 14.

"Local residents, especially widows and children whose fathers live in Iran, have to travel at least 7km in the cold winters and hot summers to get water from the Khwaja Qoshri area," he said.

Saadullah Nawabi, 49, a resident of Shorqol, said every family in his area has to use donkeys to carry full containers of water home every day.

Nawabi also said he has to travel 7km each day for water.

"Some 600 families used to live in the Shorqol area, but water shortages forced more than 400 of them to leave," he told Salaam Times on July 14.

The situation near the provincial capital is not necessarily better.

Abdul Rahim, 46, who lives in the Damqol area, a suburb of Maimana city, travels to the city centre in search of water every day, using a different mode of transportation.

"Every day, I go to fetch water with three or four neighbours and wait in line for hours," he said, adding that he has to miss work and pay more than 100 AFN ($1.17) to rickshaw drivers to bring the water home.

In the past, residents of the Damqol area relied on a water supply system built by an aid agency, but its pump broke four months ago, leaving hundreds of families without potable water, he added.

Efforts to reduce consumption

The province, and in particular Maimana, will run out of water if the irresponsible use of underground aquifers continues, say authorities at the Faryab Irrigation Department.

Droughts, illegal deep wells, the use of underground water for irrigation, and excessive consumption have caused wells to dry and water sources to shrink each year, said Omar Zaland, interim director of the Faryab Irrigation Department.

"According to a survey conducted a year ago, there are 5,000 deep wells [...] in orchards and farms across Faryab province, and that number may have even increased in the past year," Zaland told Salaam Times.

"The Irrigation Department will install metres in wells very soon to prevent the excessive use of underground water and establish standards for water usage in households," he said.

This problem will affect everyone unless residents use less water and stop the illegal digging of deep wells, he warned.

Residents should dig wells to store water from rainfall and snowfall in their homes and contribute to recharging groundwater, Zaland added.

His office has officially asked the Faryab governor to have relevant departments in the province co-operate on preventing residents from digging deep wells and using water in excess, he said.

Despite the millions of dollars in international aid sent to Afghanistan to address the potable water access, the crisis remains, said Sultan Mohammad Fahim, 34, a resident of Maimana city.

"Unfortunately, government officials have not paid much attention to drinking water shortages. The need of residents to move due to the shortage of drinking water shows they still need support," he said.

"The country will face a humanitarian crisis and the situation will deteriorate unless [Afghanistan] normalises its relations with the world and ensure that aid reaches Afghans," he warned.