Residents in parts of Nawzad District in Helmand have been forced to leave their homes due to lack of access to clean drinking water. They have urged officials in the interim government to construct the Farhad Dam in this district.

Nawzad District is located 90 kilometers from Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand. Recent droughts, along with other negative impacts, have lowered groundwater levels across the district.

Local residents report that groundwater levels have dropped between 10 to 100 meters in various parts of the district.

Pir Mohammad, a resident of Helmand, said, “This area used to be an almond orchard with good yields, but due to water shortages, poverty, and the effects of wars, it’s reached this condition, with nothing left but traces of what it was.”

Saqat Mohammad, another resident of Helmand, stated, “Ninety percent of Nawzad’s residents have left their homes, and only ten percent remain.”

Meanwhile, local officials say that the preliminary survey for constructing the Farhad Dam in Nawzad District has been completed. With the allocation of budget, work will begin, which will increase groundwater levels and irrigate farmlands.

Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesperson for the governor of Helmand, said, “Plans for the Farhad Dam are in place. The Helmand Provincial Authority has submitted proposals to the national leadership and relevant ministries. We hope that with sufficient resources and budget, this project will commence soon.”

Previously, four safe drinking water projects, funded with three million Afghanis from the Helmand Provincial Authority, were completed in the districts of Dishu and Khanashin.