KABUL (Pajhwok): Climate change threatened Afghanistan’s water resources in the last four decades, with the underground water level in Kabul receding by 15 meters on average.
This was stated at an event organized in Kabul University on the occasion of World Water Day.
Professor Asadullah Rahmatzai, head of the Hydrology Department of the Faculty of Geography of Kabul University, said that Afghanistan’s water was currently in a critical state.
He identified snow cover, glaciers and lakes as main sources of water in Afghanistan, but said these sources had been endangered due to climate changes in the last four decades.
He said snow cover decreased by 15 to 20 percent in all regions of Afghanistan in the past ten years.
He said the surface water level in the country had decreased from 57 billion cubic meters to 51.45 billion cubic meters and the underground water level from 18 billion cubic meters to 8.9 billion cubic meters.
According to his information, the groundwater level in Kabul plummeted 15 meters on average.
Aziz Rahman Aziz, an official of the Ministry of Water and Power, said that they had devised short, mid and long-term plans to properly manage water in the country.
He added his ministry would construct check dams in different provinces to solve the problem of water shortage.
Director of Meteorology Department Mohammad Naseem Muradi asked the Islamic Emirate to start work on extending a power supply project from Panjsher province to Kabul.
He also urged the government to create awareness regarding management of water.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday highlighted Afghanistan’s severe water crisis, noting nearly 80 percent of the population lacks sufficient access to drinking water.
The organisation attributed the crisis to severe drought conditions, economic instability and the destructive impact of long-term conflicts on Afghanistan’s water infrastructure.
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