Tent-dwelling flood-hit people in Ghor seek help to rebuild homes

FEROZKOH (Pajhwok): Rendered homeless by recent devastating floods, residents of western Ghor province are asking the government and aid agencies to provide them with shelter.

Shirin Gul, 37, who is the head of a family of five, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “You can see our house is swept away by the flood, nothing is left. I and my grandchild have no shelter.”

“We received assistance twice, once a tent and 20,000 afghanis cash and the second time, we received a bag of flour, rice, cooking oil and some salt,” she added.

Complaining about economic problems and homelessness, she said: “The tent is very hot during day and cold during night, the ground is still wet and we have fallen sick. We don’t have money to buy medicine. We ask the government and aid agencies to build shelters for us,” she explained.

Also, 40-year-old Khan Mohamad, has been living in a tent since more than a month with his wife and four children. He said they were going through a difficult situation.

“The floods took away everything from us; destroyed our house. I cannot afford to build a new house. I worked hard for fifteen years to build this house, but the flood destroyed it in an instant. I ask the government and other aid agencies to provide us with a shelter,” he added.

He also said he had received food and non-food assistance, but it was very difficult to live under the tent because their children get sick in summer and winter.

Sidiqa, 27, one of the other flood-affected people of Ghor, said: “There is a lot of dust in the tents, the weather is hot, all our children have diarrhea. If the government or institutions don’t help us and our problem remain unaddressed, our children will perish, we have no money and no place.”

Maulvi Abdul Hai Zaeem, director of Information and Culture in Ghor, told Pajhwok: “Although some aid has been given to the flood victims, we are striving to provide and distribute more aid to the flood victims of this province.”

He said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, visited Ghor province recently to investigate the situation of the flood victims.

He added construction of a town for flood-hit people had been started and 20 houses would be built by the government and donor agencies.

sa/ma

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