KABUL, Sept. 28 -- Severe drought and water shortage have added to the miseries of Afghans, who have already been drained by ongoing terrorist attacks, war, fighting and a deteriorating economy.
The pervasive drought has affected hundreds of thousands of people in 22 of the country's 34 provinces.
Lying in a parched region with low rainfall and high temperatures, Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul is facing a severe water shortage. The government has warned there will be a scarcity of water over the next five years.
Prolonged drought and a soaring population are mostly behind the heavy groundwater drop in the capital city, where deadly explosions and suicide attacks are still oppressing the masses.
"In recent years, climate change, years of drought and a growing population have decreased groundwater in Afghanistan and caused concerns in Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and some other neighboring and regional countries as well," Abdul Latif Muzafarkhil, technical chief of the state-owned Water Supply Directorate, told Xinhua recently.
Hard-hit Kabul residents have to fetch water from hand-operated pumps, often far from their homes. Some even have to drill their own wells between 50 to 60 meters deep, with the deepest ones descending more than 100 meters in the capital, where only 10 percent of the population has direct access to drinkable water.
"About 54 wells have been dug so far by the Water Supply Directorate across Kabul, although many of the shallow wells are running dry," the official said.
On average, Kabul has been said by meteorologists to receive only 362 mm of rainfall annually, and some years this has dropped as low as 175 mm, such as in 2001.
According to the official and based on studies conducted in 2017, Kabul's groundwater potential has been estimated at 44 million cubic meters each year, enough for only 2 million inhabitants, while the population has surpassed 5 million.
"This year, water shortage is a huge challenge for Kabul residents. Together with my younger brothers, I have to carry water home from a public tap over a long distance for our daily use," Kabul resident Gul Rahman, 20, told Xinhua.
"The water shortage has also caused huge problems for children. They have to carry water from public taps to their homes on the mountainside daily. Carrying water takes a lot of energy and time for children and teenagers," he said.
Water scarcity emanating from a lack of precipitation in late 2017 and early this year has also affected the lives of 500,000 children in Afghanistan, UNICEF warned in late April.
The impact on children could be devastating in 22 of the country's 34 provinces. In 10 of the worst affected provinces across Afghanistan, where 20 to 30 percent of water sources are reportedly dry, 1 million people's lives are threatened, according to UNICEF.
In addition, in many areas, according to Muzafarkhil, the water in the wells is impure, as the wells are dug near septic tanks. "We are not only facing water problems in quantity but also in quality, as some people dig septic tanks on the sidewalks which infect drinking water and cause health problems for consumers when the pipes rupture," he said.
"Afghanistan faces the worst drought I've experienced in decades. I don't know how to deal with the water scarcity. The government is failing to resolve the water problems for people as it is involved in fighting with militants and curbing terrorist attacks," Kabul resident Hajji Rashed told Xinhua.
"The vast majority of the households on this hilltop remain unassisted. They are lacking access to safe drinking water. I urge the government to take serious measures to help the needy people by providing safe drinking water," Rashed said.
Even though many water dams have been and are being constructed in some parts of the country, water scarcity is still a monumental challenge, as some of the projects are yet to be completed.
According to a U.S. 2010 Geological Survey report and the Afghan government, Kabul will require six times more water as its population reaches 9 million by 2050.
雅思阅读:解题五个误解:使劲做题
雅思阅读 从属关系搭配题型做题技巧
雅思阅读:优柔寡断改动答案
阅读“七宗罪”之七: 不看题目粗心大意
浅谈雅思听力笔记方法(上)
雅思阅读如何“望文生义” 有高招
雅思阅读: 词汇量之外的四大重点
回炉烤鸭二次雅思考试攻略: 从阅读下手
雅思阅读:裸考千万要不得
雅思备考:如何巧妙对付 雅思阅读中的生词
温故知新: 雅思学术类阅读旧题重现统计
雅思考试经验: 阅读中该如何实践四项技能
浅谈提高阅读能力
雅思阅读:学术类阅读概况总结
雅思阅读:简析长难句
雅思阅读:“改革”不如“革命
7-8月 份学术类阅读旧题重现情况统计
雅思阅读:搭配题的解题方法
如何巧妙对付雅思阅读中 的生词
雅思阅读:推荐复习方法
从6.5到7.5经验听力阅读双 8.5
七月雅思写作突击必看
漫话雅思阅 读文章结构
教你拿雅思阅读7分的技巧
雅思考试:学术类阅读概况精华总结篇
一位外国父亲教的人生信条 (双语)
高中生必须掌握 的雅思阅读考试四大技能
雅思阅读能力如何突围: 在慢中稳求速度
雅思阅读: 读懂句子靠分析语法
雅思阅读:高分必知两大考点及备考指南
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |