Balchragh residents complain economic hardship, unemployment

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Some residents in the Balchragh district of northwestern Faryab province have complained against economic hardship and the none-availability of basic living services and asked the acting government to address their problems.

They said billions of dollars brought into Afghanistan in the past 20 years but past government paid no attention to the address the problems of people in the far-flung areas of the country.

According to the local people public economic pillars were agriculture, livestock, handicrafts and carpet weaving but the past decades of war washed out everything, most youth became jobless and had to migrate to Iran and other places for work.

Qari Hujatullah, the resident of Balchragh’s Neshar area was happy with improved security but added local people were facing different challenges. There were limited work opportunities, essential living services were not available, no proper attention was made to improve public life in the past 20 years.

He said the road linking their district with the provincial capital was not asphalted. There was no standard hospital. “When we have emergency patients we have to take him/her to the hospital to Maimana and it is very costly and sometimes that patient is lost on its way to the hospital.”

He said the none-availability of electricity, schools, agriculture services were some other problems faced by the people of Balcharagh district.

He said: “Droughts have affected farmers in the region, and monsoon floods damage our gardens, lands, and houses every year. A small number of young people are engaged in horticulture, livestock farming, and hard work that they work on a daily basis. But most of them live in Iran to support their families.”

He asked the government and NGOs operating in Afghanistan to provide support in health, education, drinking water and roads construction areas to them.

Mullah Dawod, the resident of Toghal Mast area in Balchargh district, said in the past up to 50 percent people of the area were busy in carpet weaving but in the past 20 years the unstoppable import of foreign carpets and garments left negative impact on their profession and most people had stop weaving carpets now.

He who weaved the largest carpet in the world, said amount they earned from weaving carpet was not enough for their expenses and urges strong support for carpet and rug weaving in the province.

Abdullah, one of the orchard owner in the area, said gardening had improved recently with the introduction of new technology, adding that he grew fig, walnut, apple, pear and charry in his garden but natural disasters and diseases damaged his trees.

He said in the past, government did not pay attention to the problems of orchard owners and farmers and asked the incumbent authorities to pay attention to the problems faced by them.

Balcharagh District Chief Mohammad Shah Kazem acknowledged the problems faced by the people and said 80 percent people in the district were associated with agriculture and recent drought and disasters hamper their crops badly.

He said some residents were busy in carpet and rug weaving by due to the lack of markets and import of foreign carpets they were unable to excel in their profession as well.

He said four health clinics existed in Balchargah with limited equipment. Emergency patients could not be provided treatment and should be rushed to Maimana. He said the problems had been shared with the centre and efforts would be made to address them.

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