Drought-stricken families in Paktika need urgent help

SHARAN (Pajhwok): Residents of the Khoshamand district of southeastern Paktika province  say the drought has hit them hard and they are in dire need of deep wells for drinking water and other emergency assistance.

Meanwhile, officials in the province say they are digging deep wells for drinking water in drought-stricken areas of the province.

Dad Mohammad, a tribal elder from Delhi’s Khoshamand district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the district had been neglected in all areas for the past 20 years and had been hit hard by the recent drought.

He added that due to the drought, all the canals and springs in the district had dried up, the groundwater level had plummeted by five meters and not everyone could have access to drinking water.

He called on the government to provide drinking water to the people and provide emergency assistance because people lived in poor economic conditions.

Nemat, another tribal elder from the district, said government officials had promised to dig deep wells for drinking water and distribute aid to poor families, but they had not done so.

He added that the district should not be neglected like in the past and special attention should be paid to its people.

Paktika’s deputy governor, Maulvi Mohibullah Hamas, told a meeting of tribal elders in the district that he was in talks with the aid community to deliver humanitarian aid to the district.

He added that the drought had hit the entire country and they were trying to reach out to those affected. He assured that he would use his resources to build drinking water wells for the district.

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