Above half of Bamyan population sans potable water

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): More than half of the population in central Bamyan province consumes contaminated water and residents say they have no choice.

Ali Dost, a resident of Pasroya area of Yakawlang district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that there was no potable water in their area and people used water from reservoirs and river.

He said: “When we bring water from the river, we put it in a jerry cane for a few hours so the dirt settles and then we use it.”

According to him, such water is not healthy, but people have to use it for drinking because they have no choice.

Moharram Ali, a resident of Somara area of Bamyan city, said t about 1,000 families lived in the area, but they lacked access to clean drinking water.

He asked the officials concerned to seriously consider the problem and solve it.

On the other hand, Dr. Jafar Zaki, Bamyan public health director, told Pajhwok that figures with their department showed more than 50 percent of the residents of the province lacked access to safe drinking water.

He added a number of health centres in the province were also strugglijng with similar problem.

According to Zaki, there are about 74 health centres in seven districts and nearly 24 of them are still without safe drinking water.

On the other hand, health experts consider the lack of safe drinking water as one of the most important factors behind diseases in the society.

Dr. Ali Ahmad, an internal medicine specialist in Bamyan, said that environmental pollution had led to unsanitary nature of surface and underground water and caused various ailments to the people.

He warned that lack of clean drinking water caused the transmission of various diseases.

Dr. Foroghudding Amini, head of the infectious diseases hospital in Bamyan, had previously told Pajhwok that the number of people suffering from infectious diseases had increased significantly.

According to him, every day nearly 300 patients, including children and women, who suffer from diarrhea, respiratory diseases, animal distemper, whooping cough, measles, black jaundice, white jaundice and other seasonal diseases, visit this health center for treatment.

Also, Mullah Ziaullah Khadim, the head of rural development, said the lack of drinking water was one of the main problems of the people of this province and efforts were underway to solve this issue through the government and international institutions.

He added over the past two years, more than 210 development projects worth more than 253 million afghanis were implemented in Bamyan, and nearly 35 percent of these projects were related to drinking water.

He also noted that this year, the problem of lack of clean water was surveyed and shared with the relevant ministry and partner institutions and budget for them would be determined soon.

sa/ma