Water Crisis in Afghanistan
Water Crisis in Afghanistan
It makes up approximately 70 percent of the Earth that we inhabit. You may find yourself “up to the neck in it” at any given point, seeing as humans can be composed almost entirely of it. Water is all around us, and is essential to the ongoing cycle of life. Although water may seem abundant throughout the Earth and atmosphere; the amount of clean, useable water is an everyday crisis for some of the drought stricken, less fortunate countries. While the Oceans hold roughly 97% of the water on Earth, making it saline, humans are left to raise weapons over the mere 3% we have to use as fresh water. From that 3%, about 70% of that is frozen in the glaciers and ice caps, making it out of commission too (Fig. 1). It is clear and unfortunate that drinkable water is a resource that can be hard to come by in certain environments. The aim of this paper is to depict and examine the impacts of warfare on clean water in Afghanistan, and to identify ways of alleviating those impacts. There are many factors related to the war that affect Afghans accessibility to clean water. Dilapidated water infrastructure with little service to the public results in leakage and contamination of useable water. Streams and canals that were improperly designed and received substantial destruction result in poor water flow to farmlands. The constant search for useable water drinks wells dry, making clean water seem like a luxury to the poorest parts of Afghanistan who rely on groundwater as their only source of water. The quandary of drought exceedingly cuts into agricultural production, where it was once possible to farm rain-fed crops without having to worry about the severe lack of water. Introducing and carrying out new strategies and campaigns to help cope with dehydrated communities is essential to the recovery of Afghanistan’s water crisis. Proper infrastructure and legal water distribution organizations are needed to mitigate some of the affects caused by
It makes up approximately 70 percent of the Earth that we inhabit. You may find yourself “up to the neck in it” at any given point, seeing as humans can be composed almost entirely of it. Water is all around us, and is essential to the ongoing cycle of life. Although water may seem abundant throughout the Earth and atmosphere; the amount of clean, useable water is an everyday crisis for some of the drought stricken, less fortunate countries. While the Oceans hold roughly 97% of the water on Earth, making it saline, humans are left to raise weapons over the mere 3% we have to use as fresh water. From that 3%, about 70% of that is frozen in the glaciers and ice caps, making it out of commission too (Fig. 1). It is clear and unfortunate that drinkable water is a resource that can be hard to come by in certain environments. The aim of this paper is to depict and examine the impacts of warfare on clean water in Afghanistan, and to identify ways of alleviating those impacts. There are many factors related to the war that affect Afghans accessibility to clean water. Dilapidated water infrastructure with little service to the public results in leakage and contamination of useable water. Streams and canals that were improperly designed and received substantial destruction result in poor water flow to farmlands. The constant search for useable water drinks wells dry, making clean water seem like a luxury to the poorest parts of Afghanistan who rely on groundwater as their only source of water. The quandary of drought exceedingly cuts into agricultural production, where it was once possible to farm rain-fed crops without having to worry about the severe lack of water. Introducing and carrying out new strategies and campaigns to help cope with dehydrated communities is essential to the recovery of Afghanistan’s water crisis. Proper infrastructure and legal water distribution organizations are needed to mitigate some of the affects caused by
References: Jawad, Ahmad Shah. "Afghanistan Farmers Left High and Dry." Environment News Service. 18 Aug. 2011. Schneider, Verne. > "Water." > USGS Projects in Afghanistan. > August 1, 2011. > [URL] Survey, Geological