Essential water supplies in Afghanistan

Essential water supplies in Afghanistan

Access to safe drinking water in Afghanistan is very poor, in both urban and rural areas. Around 68% of people in Kabul province don’t have access to drinking water, party due to cyclical droughts that keep hitting the country.

Worst-hit are rain-dependent communities, whose only source of water is rain. These communities rely on rain to water their crops and collect it for drinking and domestic purposes.  Most rural Afghani villages have never had access to a water network.

The 58 wells and pumps which Islamic Relief constructed are benefitting a total of 5,000 local families, who are trained how to use the hand pump correctly, in order to preserve the well, keep it sanitary and to prevent water waste.

Sites were selected based on the need in the local community, with advice from local community councils and leaders.

Islamic Relief has established wells in many rural areas since 2001, in the provinces of Loghar, Balkh, Kandahar, and Helmand. This year we chose to focus on vulnerable communities in urban areas, where water supplies show increasing signs of contamination, including E coli, sewage and the spread of cholera.