Samangan residents complain of drinking, irrigation water shortage

AIBAK (Pajhwok): Some residents in northern Samangan province fear they will have no option but to  migrate elsewhere if the water shortage issue in their areas is not resolved.

Continued droughts caused by climate change has led to he shortage of water in Afghanistan. Samangan residents complain about the lack of water and want a solution to the critical issue.

Qari Abdul Basir Hakimi, one of the tribal elders, told Pajhwok Afghan News Samangan province did not have enough water for agriculture and drinking, thus farmers drilled deep wells unprofessionally and the excessive use of drinking water had faced people with water shortage crisis  in the province.

He warned if the excessive use of drinking water is not prevented, the residents of Samangan would soon have no water for drinking.

Alauddin, one of the farmers in Samangan province, said: “In the past the wells were up to five meter deep and we got water for agriculture while now the level of water declined by up to 30 metres and we could not properly use them for irrigation of our crops.”

He added drought and the lack of rainfall and snowfall resulted in drought and the farmers have to drill deep wells to get water for their crops.

Habib Rahman, one of the farmers from Hazrat Sultan district, said the shortage of water in streams and rivers forced farmers to drill deep wells.

“If we don’t drill deep well we could not continue with our agriculture,” he said.

Eng. Rohullah Mohammadi, director Khelam River Zone, said climate change, lack of snow and rainfall and excessive use of ground water were the main reason behind the digging of deep well.

He said a strategy had been put in place regarding the use of ground level water on the bases of which the problems faced by farmers and issues related to the use of ground water would be addressed.

Mohammadi said on the bases of this strategy no farmer would be allowed to drill deep well on its own without the survey and consent of engineers.

This comes that according to a new UN report over 60 families in Afghanistan facing drinking water crisis.

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