Afghans facing worsening water shortage due to drought

Afghans are facing water shortages because of the persistent drought that has been ravaging the country this year.

In many places including Kabul, the capital city, local residents have to carry containers to get water from water points several times a day. However, the basic amount of daily water still cannot be guaranteed.

"Water used to be available 24 hours every day, but now it is only available three to four hours. More than 500 families gather here to get water during these few hours," said Sayed Ali, a local resident.

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In the past year, the amount of precipitation dropped by more than 50 per cent compared with that of average levels in most places of Afghanistan. Sixteen out of 34 provinces are suffering from drought.

According to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, about two million Afghans have been affected by the drought.

Years of conflict has damaged the country's infrastructure, making the situation even worse.

"Afghanistan lacks infrastructure. The construction of water projects including dams has been slow. So when water flows past Afghanistan, there is no way to store it and just let it flow right into neighbouring countries," said Aslam Sayas, the deputy director of Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.

Local media say the drought has caused a fall in crop production in the western and northern parts of Afghanistan, and people in these areas are on the edge of famine.

A report from the United Nations also claims that Afghanistan is in need of at least 115 million USdollars in humanitarian aid.