Children in Chemtal district, in northern Afghanistan, are being forced to drop out of school because of drought and poverty. They have to work or spend many hours a day collecting water.

Enayatullah Sharaaf, head of the education department in Chemtal, in Balkh province, says that it is hard to say just how many children have abandoned school but estimates that attendance has dropped by 10-20%. Others attend school less frequently because they have to help their families. They also have less time and energy to do their homework.

Hunger is a serious problem in Chemtal, which is heavily dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry, both of which are being seriously affected by the drought. In June hundreds of people from drought-affected households camped out near Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital. They returned to their homes after the government promised that drinking water would be supplied. Water was trucked into the region for a while, but stopped again as a result of what the government called 'technical and financial problems'.

Related news:

• Afghanistan: threat of water shortage through groundwater depletion, Source South Asia, 03 Oct 2008;
• Afghanistan: sanitation practices make children vulnerable to sexual abuse, Source South Asia, 18 Aug 2008

Source: IRIN, 02 Dec 2008

Tags: emergencies, south asia, water and livelihoods, water collection, water distribution