Many people in Afghanistan still do not have access to safe drinking water, despite a national development drive since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Only about 28% of urban homes have access to piped water and the percentage is much lower in rural areas. Many more people have access to water from wells and hand pumps, but this is often contaminated.

The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) says that two-thirds of urban households have access to safe drinking water, either from a piped supply or from wells and pumps. This figure is only 26% in rural areas. Water supplies are often contaminated, with domestic waste, wastewater from sewers, or human excreta from open defecation.

Many people spend several hours a day collecting water from crowded communal taps or wells. Others, however, benefit from the shortage, earning a living as water collectors for those who are unable to fetch water themselves. "I am contracted to nine houses and each house pays me 1,200 afghani [US$ 23 = € 18] a month. I can earn more money than people who repair roofs,' says 16-year-old Ahmadullah from Kabul.

Related news:

• Afghanistan: threat of water shortage through groundwater depletion, Source South Asia, 03 Oct 2008;
• Afghanistan: update on ICRC's activities, Source South Asia, 04 Dec 2008;
• Afghanistan: children forced to abandon school through drought and poverty, Source South Asia, 15 Dec 2008

Web site:ANDS

Source: Sharif Khoram, AFP / Yahoo! News, 31 Dec 2008

Tags: rural wash, south asia, urban wash, water collection, water distribution