Use of unsafe water causes ailments in Nahr-i-Saraj

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Complaining about a shortage of safe drinking water, residents of Helmand’s Nahr-i-Saraj district say many individuals are suffering from different ailments.

Islamuddin, hailing from the Simati area of the district told Pajhwok Afghan News there was no safe water in their village.

He said: “Many elders and children get sick due to the lack of clean water. Well water is salty and the people consuming it usually get sick. Some of them even die.”

Abdullah, another resident of the area, called the lack of clean drinking water their biggest problem, which caused many people a variety of ailments.

Abdullah said: “Water in this area is contaminated and undrinkable. If anyone drinks it, they get diarrhea and other ailments. People here are poor and cannot pay for their treatment.”

Farmer Mohammad Qasim also complained of the problem, saying: “Apart from humans, the unhealthy water has also harmed crops. The seeds we grow don’t sprout. If some seeds do sprout, they do not grow well.”

They asked the government and other relevant institutions to implement clean water supply schemes and dig up wells in the area.

District health officials confirmed a limited number of residents had access to clean and safe drinking water.

Public Health Director Dr. Syed Ahmad Saeed told Pajhwok: “Years of drought have harmed clean water resources in the area, whose residents have no option but to use pond water. It causes them ailments, such as typhoid, diarrhea, etc.”

He said about 60 percent of the people had no access to healthy water. If area inhabitants gain access to clean water, diseases like typhoid and diarrhea could be prevented, he believed.

Rural Rehabilitation and Development (RRD) Department officials said they had shared requests of people from Nahr-i-Sarat for the construction of water supply projects with the government officials in Kabul.

Deputy Director of RRD Maulvi Mohammad Nabi acknowledged: “We have received a number of applications for the launch of clean water supply schemes and referred them to the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MoRRD).

“Some of the applications have been approved and work over water supply projects is ongoing in Sangin, Baghni, Nawzad, Garmser, Kajaki and Washer districts.”

The underground water level has dropped because of years of droughts in the country and people’s access to clean water has been depleted considerably.

aw/mud