Several residents of Kabul’s District 7 are complaining about water shortages and the difficulty of accessing this basic necessity. They say municipal water reaches their homes only once every 10 to 15 days, yet despite this limited access, families still have to pay the water bill, which continues to place a heavy financial burden on them. According to these residents, the water shortage has not only made it difficult for families to meet their daily needs but has also created more problems for women and children in their everyday lives.
Nasrin, a resident of the Guzargah area in District 7 of Kabul city, complains about the water shortage and high water bills. According to her, municipal water reaches the homes of residents in this area only once every eight to 15 days; however, despite the limited access to water, the water bill continues to weigh heavily on families.
Nasrin says they spent about 6,000 Afghanis to connect municipal water pipes to their home, even though her family lives in a rented house. Even so, access to sufficient water remains one of their main problems.
This Kabul resident says: “We do not have enough water. We spent about 6,000 afghanis to connect the municipal water pipes to the house, and even though we are tenants, we paid this money anyway. Municipal water comes to the household taps once every eight to 15 days, but our water bill comes to about 300 to 400 Afghanis. In this difficult economic situation, where are we supposed to find the money for these costs? Families who have deep wells complain about high electricity bills. Sometimes they also say their wells have dried up and they cannot provide water to people every day.”
Shukrullah, a resident of the Guzargah area in District 7 of Kabul city, also says he is facing a severe water shortage. He says: “There is no water here. Municipal water comes once every 10 to 15 days, and the water bill is also costly. Paying this cost is very difficult for us, and we are facing many problems because of the water shortage.”
Fawzia, a resident of District 7 of Kabul city, says that because of economic problems, they cannot afford to buy all the water their family needs. According to her, the water shortage has created many difficulties for families, particularly women and children.
This Kabul resident says: “We buy mineral water for drinking. When my children come home tired from school, they have to carry water from a very long distance to get the water needed for washing. We are not in a good economic situation to be able to buy all the water we need. The water shortage has created many problems for the residents of this district, particularly women and children.”
Tamim, a resident of District 7 of Kabul city, says: “Day by day, the wells are drying up, and people are facing the water shortage more and more. Afghanistan has many rivers, and if their water were used inside the country, people’s problems would be largely resolved.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said some time ago that women and children bear the heavy burden of the water shortage. According to OCHA, women and children spend long hours bringing water home.
It is worth noting that Afghanistan is among the countries vulnerable to climate change and chronic droughts, and Kabul, the capital, along with many other provinces, is struggling with severe water shortages.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
