Farkhar residents lack access to education, health services

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): Some residents of Farkhar district in northern Takhar province have complained against the lack of basic services, including education and health, and asked concerned authorities to address their problems.
Mawlavi Zaidullah, a local elder expressed pleasure over the establishment of security and order, but complained that people in Farkhar did not had access to clean drinking water and health service.
He said Farkhar was rich in natural beauty and could attract tourists but its inhabitants did not have access to basic services.
He asked the government to address the social problems faced by the local residents.
Najmuddin, head of the Farkhar Development Council, said proper attention was not paid to development of Farkhar district in past years.
He said work on some development projects such as the Kandal Canal which has the capacity to irrigate 2,500 acres of land and generate jobs had been postponed.
He asked the government to resume work on half-completed schemes.
Qari Hazratullah, another local elder, said the only source of income of Farkhar people was agriculture. He said due to drought and flash floods people suffered financially.
“We want the government to ensure the implementation of development projects in coordination with NGOs,” he said.
Deputy Education Director Mawlavi Khal Mohammad said 70 percent students in the district were deprived of education facilities. He acknowledged some schools in the district were without buildings too.
He said current government leadership and cooperative NGOs would pay attention to the development of education in the province.
Dr. Akhtar Mohammad Ebrat, deputy head of District Hospital, said the construction work of the district hospital was expected to be completed in previous government. Around 70 percent of the construction work was incomplete which deprived thousand from health service, he added.
He said the resumption of the hospital’s construction work was suggested to the government but no practical step had been taken so far.
Relevant officials have assured that government will pay serious attention to address the problems faced by the people of Farkhar.
Mullah Esmat Noor Mohammad, Takhar Rural Rehabilitation and Development Director, linked delay on the development project with the non-availability of funds. He said some projects were funded by the World Bank who stopped the provision of funds after regime change for these projects.
He stressed the international community should separate politics and the provision of aid when it is linked directly with the survival of people.
Farkhar District Chief Mawlavi Abdul Basir Talha said 80 percent people in the district lived under the poverty line because it is a mountainous area.
He asked the NGOs for support.
He said local residents were cooperative with the government and efforts were underway to address them.
This comes that earlier according to the Education Department 360 of the total 700 schools in the province were without school buildings.