Water supply project launched to address Kabul’s growing Water crisis

KABUL (TOLONews): As part of efforts to improve access to drinking water in Kabul, the Afghanistan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Company has inaugurated a project to produce and transfer water from Qargha Dam to the 10,000-cubic-meter reservoir at Kabul Polytechnic University.

This project, implemented in cooperation with UNICEF, spans 11 kilometers and is expected to provide drinking water for 60,000 to 70,000 families in Kabul.

Hamidullah Hemat, the project manager, said: “It is 11 kilometers long, using 450-millimeter panels. Two wells have been dug, with a pressure of about 25 to 30 liters per second. This facility will provide water for 60 to 70 thousand families.”

Ghulam Rahman Kazem, CEO of the Emirati Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Company, also said: “What we don’t have now, we hope to acquire and use for our fellow citizens, and needs will be met more easily.”

Meanwhile, Islamic Emirate officials emphasized at the project’s inauguration that the water shortage problem in Kabul is serious, but they have plans to manage it.

Aminullah Obaid, Governor of Kabul, said at the ceremony: “We assure you that the existing problems will be resolved shortly, and the Islamic Emirate intends to supply clean drinking water to the people from the Shatoot Dam and Panjshir River.”

Ahmad Jan Bilal, head of governmental companies, added: “Before this problem worsens or becomes a serious issue, we estimated that within our capacity and resources, a solution must be found.”

Meanwhile, the acting Minister of Economy described the water crisis as one of the consequences of war and climate change and called for targeted planning to manage internal water resources.

The Ministry of Agriculture, emphasizing the need for public awareness, added that it is working on building canals and check dams to combat water shortage challenges.

Din Mohammad Hanif, Acting Minister of Economy, said: “Billions of cubic meters of water that flow out should be managed and used so that the country can be saved from this crisis. The Islamic Emirate is determined to maximize water usage through proper management to avoid famine.”

Sadr Azam Osmani, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, also added: “To our fellow citizens, I say: manage water, avoid waste and unnecessary usage, because this is a matter of our livelihood.”

This project has been launched while previously, the UN Humanitarian Resettlement Program described Kabul’s water shortage crisis as “unprecedented” and emphasized that to combat it, extensive investment, inter-agency cooperation, and increased public awareness on optimal water usage are necessary.