Najibullah Sadid, an environmental and water resources expert, has warned that the Amu River in Shahr-e-Buzurg district of Badakhshan is diverting toward Tajikistan due to unregulated gold extraction.
Sadid wrote on social media on Monday, February 16, that Afghanistan is paying a heavy price for gold mining in the Panj River.
He warned that the environmental damage is severe.
He wrote: “The Panj River, which once marked the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, has in some areas completely shifted toward Tajikistan due to extensive mining operations.”
Meanwhile, sources say gold miners, with Taliban support, have encroached on Tajikistan’s side while digging.
Sources also confirm that these miners are destroying land and altering the courses of the Amu and Kokcha Rivers in Badakhshan.
