BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Nearly 70 different mines have been discovered and identified in central Bamyan province during the current solar year, an official announced on Wednesday.
Maulvi Niamatullah Abbas, Mines and Petroleum Department director, told Pajhwok Afghan News based on research and surveys conducted by his department this year, 69 different mines were discovered and identified in the province.
He said these riches included iron, coal, copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, mercury, sulfur, barite, gypsum, polymetal, antimony, and deposits of decorative and precious stones.
He added these mines were located in the districts of Shibar, Saighan, Kahmard, and Yakawlang.1 and Yakawlang Number 2.
He pointed out that out of the 69 discovered mines, only 17 mines of coal, lead, zinc, travertine stone, and construction stones were currently operational, employing dozens of local residents.
He continued his department was working to facilitate the extraction of identified minerals, which would provide employment opportunities for thousands of people in cooperation of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP).
He announced that soon the lead and zinc mines in the areas of Bidag, Espai Maidan, and Surkh Boomak in Yakawlang-1 and Number 2 districts, spanning 18 kilometer, would be divided into seven blocks—will be offered for bidding by MoMP.
Abdul Wahid, a resident of Yakawlang Number 1 district, said that poverty and unemployment were major challenges for local residents, and relevant authorities should make efforts to extract the mines to provide employment opportunities for the most deserving people in the region.
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