<p>HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Firefighters in western Herat province on Sunday said they have no firefighting facilities in districts and they have been providing services in the provincial capital only since 40 years.</p>
<p>Habibullah Habibi, Herat firefighting department operational director, said he was concerned about lack of facilities as the available resources accounted for only 10 percent.</p>
<p>He told Pajhwok Afghan News that Herat has now a population of about five million people while 40 years ago, the population was one million.</p>
<p>He said his department has 95 workers and 25 vehicles and some of the vehicles had also damaged.</p>
<p>He added their personnel had been deployed to Islam-i-Qala, Torghondai ports, Industry Township, 64 meter square, Guzargah area and the firefighting department. Habibi said all districts lacked f facilities to control fire.</p>
<p>Bashir Ahmad Wahidyar, an employee at the firefighting department, said that most of firefighting trucks were large which could not enter narrow alleys to extinguish a fire.</p>
<p>Kabir Isar, a member of the provincial council, told Pajhwok they had shared the issue several times with the authorities, but no one paid attention in this regard.</p>
<p>A number of other residents held similar views and expressed their concern over the lack of firefighting facilities, urging the government to address the issue as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Pk/ma</p>
