KABUL (Pajhwok): Some residents of Kabul say they have been lacking access to potable water since lasttwo years and travel long distances to fetch waterhome.
Amruddin, a resident of Kart-i-Sakhi area, told Pajhwok Afghan News their area faced water shortage. He said some residents purchased water from tankers, but many families who were poor brought water homefrom long distances.
According to him, lack of water has caused
many problems for the people. He said private companies had contracts to supply water and had activated water supply system, but due to drought the entire area could not be supplied water for two years.
Amruddin who travels a kilometer every day to fetch water, said: “Earlier, the private company would charge 50 afghanis per cubic meter of water and give water to people once a week.”
“But now the situation has worsened, the price has increased to 90 afghani per cubic meter, however, there have been no changes in the water supply system, rather water distribution has decreased.”
He asked the officials concerned to address theproblem as soon as possible and closely monitor private companies to provide better services to the people.
Rashid, another resident of Kart-i-Sakhi, also complained about water shortage.
He said they would be supplied water once a weekpreviously, but currently they had no water for more than a month and they purchased it from tankers at an exorbitant price.
He said in the last two years, the problem of water scarcity had increased and they were supplied water once a month, insufficient to solve their problems. He also asked the government to pay attention to the issue.
Farid Ahmad, a resident, who had come to ShakhiShrine to get some water, said: “People face many problems due to water shortage and they carry water from here to their houses on mountain with great difficulty.
This area has been facing water shortage since last two years.” He said local people could not buy water from tankersdue to economic problem and their children and women travel long distances to take water home from the mosque for free.
“I walk for 20 minutes to half an hour to get water from the Kart-i-Sakhi mosque, and when I come here, I wait for hours until my turn comes because of rush.” Ahmad takes 20 barrels of water every day on the top of the mountain. He asked the Islamic Emirate to solve the water shortage problem.
Also, 10-year-old Nabiullah, who carries ten barrels of water every day, said that water
came in pipeline so he had to travel a long distance to fetch drinking water.
Shafiullah Zahedi, head of the water supply and waste water company, had previously told Pajhwok that the decrease in the level of underground water and recent drought had caused water shortage problem for all the residents of Kabul.
He said their department had devised three short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to solve water shortage problem. The implementation of the long-term plan would resolve the water shortage issue in Kabul.
