Kunar residents collect money to build road on self-help basis

ASADABAD (Pajhwok): The residents of “Dahuz" area of Whatapur district in eastern Kunar province have collected about two million afghanis and have together started construction of a 25-kilometer road as they have no road to commute.

The residents say tribal elders have decided to collect money and jointly start construction of the road on self help basis.

Haji Shirullah, a tribal elder of the area, who was working along with his four sons to build the road in the mountain, said he had collected nearly two million afghanis from the villagers.

He added that three kilometers of the road had been constructed so far and the construction of another 22 kilometers was underway.

“More than 40,000 people live in our area, but there is no road. They take their patients to the district center with a lot of difficulties and the patients often lose lives.”

The elder said they had asked many time officials during the previous government to construct the road, but their calls fell on deaf ears.

He said now they had decided to build the road with their own hands and money. He said women were also working along with men in construction of the road in order to complete it soon.

Malik Alamjan, another elder, said they lived in a mountainous area and their only source of income was farming and raising cattle.

He said they sold their animals to donate money to the road project. He said nine months ago, the Islamic Relief and World Food Program completed five kilometers portion of the road and now local resident had started work to complete it.

However, he said the villages were unable to remove big rocks on the road without an evacuator and other tools, urging the government and aid agencies to help them in construction of the road.

A civil society activist, Mohammad Laiq Samon, said the government should construct roads and other basic projects in other areas of Kunar like Dahos where people do not have roads.

Kunar Rural Development and Reconstruction Department officials admit Dahoz area lags behind in terms of development affairs and its people are deprived of many other facilities besides the road.

Shamsul Rahman Selab, the department director, said he had talked with the central government and a number of international organizations to construct the Dahoz road and they had promised to do so.