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6 June 2001, By Patrick Fuller in Afghanistan Appearances in Afghanistan can be deceptive. Set in a landscape of arid plains and towering rock hills lies the village of Dozdabad in the south western province of Farah. Four hours from the nearest town along desert tracks, the brown mud brick houses emerge out of the heat haze, with their characteristic domed roofs. Close to the Iranian border, this is the last place on earth where one would expect to find a human settlement let alone apricot trees and wheat fields. Yet for over three hundred years the population of Dozdabad and other villages scattered across the region have survived purely by harnessing the most important commodity in this part of the world - water. The lifeblood of the village has come from its 'karez', an ingenious system of wells sunk deep into mountain ranges which channel water to lower lying areas. The karez is a form of irrigation unique to Afghanistan and Dozdabad is reliant upon a metre wide channel of water that has snaked through the desert from its mountain source more than 50 kilometres away. But with the drought in this region of Afghanistan now in its third year, the karez is in danger of drying up, threatening the livelihoods of all the villagers who are dependent on subsistence agriculture and livestock rearing. The International Federation and the Afghan Red Crescent have been busy installing wells in Dozdabad and other remote villages across Afghanistan's southern provinces of Farah, Helmund, Kandahar, Zabul and Urazgam. "The main aim of the programme is to mitigate the impact of the drought," explains Walter Baumgartner, the Federation's water and sanitation coordinator. "Before the situation reaches a critical level in these areas we have to ensure that people still have access to safe water." The water and sanitation programme is part of the Federation's drought assistance programme which began in July last year and is supported by the ICRC. By December 2001, a total of 140 wells will be constructed in the most drought prone villages across the five provinces. The task is arduous for Walter and his small team which comprises a field officer and two Red Crescent engineers. Once the villages have been selected, the wells are drilled by local contractors to an average depth of 25 metres. "The water table in a lot of areas has dropped by about five metres during the past three years. So many existing wells have dried up. We insist that all the new wells are drilled for an extra ten metres once the water-table has been struck," says one of the Afghan Red Crescent engineers, Mohammed Latif. The two new wells in Dozdabad have certainly had an impact. As she pumps water into a plastic container, one elderly resident explains how the health of her family has improved. "We used to have to take water from the karez and my children were always getting diarrhoea, but now we have no problems," she says. The programme aims to provide one well for every twenty families in each village and it is clear that there is a need. The elders of the village are concerned that the karez may dry up this year. "Three years ago we were able to farm 800 acres of wheat, but this year we only have enough water to irrigate 80 acres," explains the village Malik or headman. In such a remote area, local coping mechanisms are beginning to be stretched to the limit. Already most of the young men have migrated to Iran in search of work on construction sites. "We have already had to sell 30 per cent of our livestock and the only other income comes from our women who weave carpets," says the Malik. Barely five kilometres away from Dozdabad, the team found a small settlement facing extreme difficulties. Here there is no sign of any wheat fields or fruit trees, just children with running noses and ragged clothes who sit, listless in the dirt. The only well for the two hundred inhabitants is virtually dry and the village has no access to the karez. Walter prioritises the village to receive the next well in the area. "This just shows how easy it is to slip over the edge," he says, adding "as soon as the well dries up the whole village is under threat." Related links More information about Afghanistan Volunteering Make a donation |
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The
International Federation and the Afghan Red Crescent have been busy
installing wells in Dozdabad and other remote villages across Afghanistan's
southern provinces. (p6549)
