KABUL (Pajhwok): On World Water Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said about 33 million people face drinking water shortage in Afghanistan, a claim rejected by the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE)
In a statement, ICRC said: “Access to safe drinking water is an internationally recognized human right, yet it is estimated that 33 million people in Afghanistan face severe water shortages”.
“It is impossible for millions of Afghans to find healthy water for drinking, cooking or the water that could be used for irrigation proposes of their crops,” ICRC said
It said this has a devastating impact on people’s health and access to food, and hampers the country’s potential for economic development.
According to ICRC, in Afghanistan, climate change is threatening access to water for millions of people.
However, Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) spokesman Matiullah Abid rejected the report and explained that they did not know on what basis this survey had been conducted.
The MoWE has initiated major projects to combat drought and only during the past one year, it worked on eight water dams, some of which have been completed and others are under construction, he added.
According to him, short-term and long-term plans have been implemented in Kabul to resolve this problem, and transferring clean water from Panjshir province is one of such projects.
Previously, Abid told Pajwhok Afghan News the ministry worked on eight dams in surface water management sector, including three of them have been put into use, and has also built 355 check dams across the country in 2024.
But the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) said last year that 21 million people in Afghanistan are facing drinking water shortage due to climate change.
hz/aw/ma
GET IN TOUCH
NEWSLETTER
SUGGEST A STORY
PAJHWOK MOBILE APP