Announcement

Thousands in Uruzgan Gain Access to Clean Water

New hand pumps and irrigation canals provide water for drinking and farming.

Tirin Kot, Afghanistan  | Sunday, March 15, 2009

Photo: USAID/LGCD

A villager in Uruzgan uses a hand pump to get fresh drinking water.

The lack of clean water causes disease and poor harvests, and ultimately forces communities to migrate to new areas.  To improve health and prevent the abandonment of homes, USAID recently constructed a series of water pumps and canals in Uruzgan Province, providing thousands of rural villagers with access to clean drinking water and irrigation.

Approximately 3,230 residents of Kuchkin, Surmurghab, and Salehzai villages can now obtain water through 11 hand pumps.  A Kuchkin elder said, “We were in great need of clean drinking water.  If not for these hand pumps, we would have migrated from this place as we used to do.  We are truly grateful to have them.”  In addition, the construction of a canal in Khairabad provided crop irrigation and water for 2,100 villagers.  One elder expressed his appreciation and said, “Our village now has enough water for irrigation and we are optimistic about a good harvest this season.”