Bamyan’s drought-hit farmers seek govt support

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Residents of central Bamyan province are concerned about severe drought, saying farmers have not been able to cultivate their agricultural lands and the government should pay attention to the phenomenon.

Mohammad Alam, one of the residents of Shabarto area, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “During the past 30 years, this year’s drought was severe and many farmers were unable to cultivate their lands due to lack of water”.

According to him, about 90 percent of the area residents are engaged in agriculture which is their main source of income.

He feared a famine could occur if crops did not grow due to drought, urging the government to bring under irrigation their agriculture fields.

The water shortage problem is not limited to this area, but has worried most of the residents of the province.

Abdul Sattar, a resident of Waras district of Bamyan, said in the past natural streams would become full of water during spring seasons and people would face no shortage of water.

But during the last two years, he said, drought significantly increased in the district and there was not enough water to irrigate agricultural lands.

According to him, the increase in drought has caused disputes between farmers.

Muharram Ali, a resident of Panjab district, said a number of residents of the district were concerned about the water shortage.

According to him, if the drought continues, most of the springs will dry up and local people will not have even drinking water. He asked the authorities to pay attention to the matter.

On the other hand, Mullah Gulabuddin Rabdost, director of agriculture, said that the water shortage problems had engulfed all Afghanistan and the people of Bamyan also faced the issue.

He added this year they plan to manage water resources by constructing small dams, canals, and digging wells.

He informed this year the Ministry of Agriculture plans to spend about 334 million afghanis on improvement of agriculture in Bamyan.

hz/sa/ma

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