Editorial; Drought is a serious alarm

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Drought and shortage of water has been turning in to a serious concern in many countries in the recent years. Afghanistan is not an exception of the universal problem, but the difference between our country and the world is that other countries hold plans to fight this deadly problem by expensing, awareness programs and providence programs in use of water, while in Afghanistan less attention is being paid to fight drought.

As a landlocked country, Afghanistan is dependent on the seasonal snowfalls and rainfalls to provide water for drinking, irrigation and other needs. Unfortunately, snowfall that is a major source to provide water, has had worryingly reduced as in the recent winters the country had witnessed only one or two snowfalls.

A human tragedy is gradually appearing particularly in the western and northwestern provinces. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from villages hit by or under the danger of drought in the provinces of Ghor and Badghis to the adjacent province of Herat, living in a pitiful condition under the tents donated by the government and the international organizations.

Farmlands in these areas have turned to dry useless lands as the rivers, canals, streams and other water resources have no water.

If the current condition continues, there will be a big human calamity and more people will be forced to leave villages for other areas in the country or go out from the country for search of water to save their and their families’ lives.

This is an undeniable truth that drought is a nature’s problem, but the resolve ways should be sought. The government and its national disaster management department are responsible for the natural problems and they need to adopt measures to prevent the human tragedy. This would be wrong to sit and wait for natural changes to solve natural problems.

Building dams to reserve water and prevent rivers freely flowing to the neighboring countries as nothing comes to Afghanistan in return. Deep wells are needed to be dug in the areas where rivers and streams are not flowing and people are at the first line of drought.

School teachers, tribal elders and clergies have to play their roles to make people aware of the importance of water and how to use it cautiously. Otherwise, another human tragedy is imminent besides terrorism, narcotics and corruption that have badly affected the country and people.