Late last year and early this year, there was less snow and rain in the southwestern part of the country. Authorities say only 26 millimeters of rain has fallen within the entire year, whereas 150 to 200 millimeters of rain are needed for a good year. Meanwhile, the Dahla Dam, which supplies water to agricultural lands in eight districts in Kandahar province, has been closed for the past few days due to clashes between security forces and the Taliban, and it is currently not possible to open the dam. In addition, farmers in the province say that their fields and farmlands are not getting enough water and therefore there may be a food crisis in the province. On the other hand, according to them, water resources will be depleted and residents of the city and districts will face water shortages.
Farmers and farm owners in Kandahar are urging the government and the Taliban to address the concerns of the people by opening the Dahla Dam, and to save the people from future food and economic crises by ending the fighting in the area. Residents, farmers and farm owners in Kandahar districts state that their farmlands are drying up; There was a lot of water each year in this season, but this year, on the one hand, the drought and on the other hand, the war between the security forces and the Taliban have blocked the water route.
Haji Saleh, Haji Mohammad Ayub and Haji Ahmad, residents of the province, say, Taliban and government fighters should allow officials in the irrigation department to reopen the water routes to their farms. They point out that the war is hurting them as much as the destruction of fields and water shortages. According to them, Kandahar’s economy is based on agriculture, and if agriculture is lost, people will face various challenges in this area.
Zahir Shah, a tribal elder in Arghandab district of Kandahar province, told 8 Sobh newspaper that the Taliban’s actions bring destruction to the people; Because the economy of the people need to be strong and most of the economy of the people of Kandahar is based on agriculture. According to him, farms are not owned by the government, but are privately owned lands by the locals, but armed groups insist on destroying these farmlands.
For his part, Seyyed Hafezullah Seyyedi, Kandahar’s director of agriculture, addresses the concerns of the people and states that the situation in Kandahar’s farms and agricultural lands is difficult due to the war and the displacement of farmers from their lands and fields, as well as water shortages. He added that 26 mm of rain has fallen in the province this year, while Kandahar needs 150 to 200 mm of rain in a year. “We are facing two major problems with the agriculture sector this year,” said Kandahar’s director of agriculture. First, farmers have not been able to farm on their fields in the spring because of landmines in the fields – jobs such as pruning and farming – but now we face another major challenge: the closure of the Kandahar Dahla Dam, which is one of the irrigation sources of agricultural lands in Kandahar. ” The ongoing war between the security forces and the Taliban are harming the locals more.”
