Amu River floods wash away farmlands, homes

KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok):  Some residents of the Imam Sahib district of northern Kunduz province complain about the destruction of their agricultural land and homes by Amur River floods.

They said frequent flooding in the river caused damage to them massive loss. If the river’s banks were not fortified, they warned, their properties would be washed away.

Mohammad Mir, a resident of Sher Khan Port, said they had thrice migrated from his area and had witnessed the destruction of 75 acres of agricultural land due to flooding in the river.

“Due to the rising water level in Amur River and resultant floods in May, we were displaced three times. We have visited the ministry concerned five times to draw the attention of the high-ups to this problem.

“Later, a delegation from the ministry came and conducted a survey. However, that was a futile exercise. We want the Islamic Emirate to address our problem, otherwise our 750 acres of land is in danger of being destroyed,” he said.

Abdul Samad, who lives close to the river, said: “Amu River has been washing away our farmlands every day. We want the Islamic Emirate to pay attention to resolving our problems.

“This river poses a huge threat to our agricultural land and civilian homes. If due attention is not paid to addressing the issue, Customs’ facilities will also be destroyed.”

The Amu River Zone Department head, Eng. Rafiullah Mujtaba, said the matter had been shared with high-ranking government officials. He also stressed the need for resolving the issue.

“We have stopped the erosion of thousands of acres of agricultural land, but there are still problems that need to be resolved.

“In some areas, farmlands have been destroyed. We are trying to implement schemes to ensure the protection of river banks through gabions and retaining walls,” the official concluded.

nh/mud

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