Thanks to Pajhwok; Nimroz villagers find access to clean water

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): After Pajhwok Afghan News report about drought in northwestern Nimroz province, which had forced some families to migrate— a philanthropist has stepped in to address the drinking water shortage in a village, saving residents from a two-hour walk to fetch water.

On March 31, Pajhwok published a report titled “Recent drought in Nimroz have led to forced migration of some residents.”

In that report, locals from Zaranj city, the provincial capital, and several districts complained about drought and a lack of access to safe drinking water.

Based on the report, residents of Molana village in Zaranj—home to 80 families—voiced concern over the long distance to water sources, saying the drought had made life increasingly difficult.

Now, a kind-hearted individual named Mir Ahmad Baloch has once again come to the aid of the people in the area by cleaning and deepening a seven-metre well he had previously dug, thus solving the villagers’ water shortage problem.

Baloch, who originally dug thee well three years ago to address water scarcity in the area, said: “Pajhwok is a media outlet that truly echoes the voice of the people. I always follow it and I’m grateful. I thought the well I dug three years ago was still in use, but after reading Pajhwok’s report, I realised it had dried up and people were walking two hours to fetch water. That’s why I decided to clean and deepen the well.”

He added: “I am really happy that I could do something small, but meaningful, to ease the suffering of the people. Pajhwok informs me and hundreds of others about the public’s situation. I hope government officials will also take action to address these issues.”

Baloch also called on other businessmen and philanthropists to consider the arrival of summer and the ongoing drought and to contribute by digging wells and delivering water to remote parts of the province.

His initiative was warmly welcomed by inhabitants of the area.

Mohammad Sediq, a resident of the village, told Pajhwok: “I appreciate Baloch for cleaning the well again.”

He added: “If Pajhwok hadn’t published that report, no one would have known. We would walk two hours and standing in queues for hours just to get water. But now our problem is solved. We walk only ten minutes to reach the water source.”

Meanwhile, Mah Gul, another resident of Molana village whose husband is paralysed and who is responsible for all household chores including fetching water, also expressed her happiness about the well being cleaned and deepened by seven metres, restoring access to clean water.

She said: “May God reward the person who dug the old well deeper and brought water back. I used to walk for two hours every day and my feet ached. Now, thank God, the water is near us.”

Mohammad Naeem, another resident of the village, said the issue for him and 80 other families had been resolved, but stressed the need for another well to be dug for better access.

He urged other well-off individuals to assist the people in the province by digging an additional well in the village.

kk/ma