USAID/SWSS

Children collect water from the new reservoir

Clean drinking water has become a reality for Barik Ab, a small town near Bagram Airbase. Till July 31, when the new water system was inaugurated, the inhabitants of Barik Ab had to walk miles to draw unsafe water from drying wells. USAID, in partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, worked on a permanent solution to the problem.

USAID’s Afghan Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation (SWSS) Project funded the laying of a 2,200-meter network of pipes and construction of a deep well. A generator and water pump were installed and three reservoirs built to address Barik Ab’s thirst for safe water.

Residents, young and old, are happy. Samia, who is five years, said, “now I am very happy having safe water close to my house, I bring water buckets and fill them and then my father carries them home.”

Kaka Almas, another resident, said the piped water has done away with the need to buy unsafe water at the cost of 10 to 15 Afghanis per bucket. “In the past, we bought water carried by water tankers even though the water was unsafe and most of the children were affected by diarrhea causing from drinking contaminated water,” he said. “The construction of the new water system has fulfilled our basic needs and we are thankful to our government for the efforts made in this regard,” he added. 

Safe Water for the People of Barik Ab