SHIBERGHAN (Pajhwok): Residents whose houses were destroyed to pave the way for the Qush Tepa canal in northern Jawzjan province demand of the government to provide them land plots or houses.
However, officials say they are trying to distribute land or houses to the people whose properties were destroyed along the canal route.
According to reports, the Qush Tepa canal is 280km long, 100 meters wide and 8.5 meters deep. The canal has the capacity to irrigate 500,000 hectares of land in northern Balkh, Jawzjan and Faryab provinces.
Th canal will transfer 10 billion cubic meters water from Amu River in Kaldar district of Balkh province to Andkhoy district of Faryab province.
Construction work on the Qush Tepa was started on March 2022. Recently, its first phase was completed and excavation work on the second phase has been started in the province.
Jawzjan residents welcome canal’s 2nd phase excavation work
Massoud, one of the engineers, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the residents had welcomed the construction of the second phase as it provided jobs to the youth.
He said: “People are very happy, and 160 people work with 130 machines in this project”.
“I’m glad to work in my own country and have a job”: Safiullah, one of the workers, said.
He wished favorable work environment and the launch of more such important national projects.
According to Mohammad Khan, another worker: “I am very happy that we have jobs and the implementation of this project will irrigate our lands and we will have better yield”.
People’s agriculture lands and houses were destroyed in order to implement the ambitious project and now the affected people should be given land to construct houses for themselves, he explained.
Meanwhile, Jora Qol, an Aqcha district resident said: “Some houses and agricultural lands have been demolished, we ask the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to give us lands to we build homes again”.
The second phase of the Qush Tepa canal has been started from Dawlat Abad district of Balkh. The 177km long canal ends in Andkhoy district, Jawzjan Information and Culture Director Maulvi Saifuddin Mu’atasem explained.
More than 15,000 acres of agricultural lands will be irrigated after implementation of the canal project.
“We have talked to officials about the demolished houses and lands and we asked them to build homes for the people, we trying to help them,” Mu’atasem added.
About 250 houses have been destroyed in Khamab, Aqcha and Qarqin districts to allow the canal’s construction.
hz/ma
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