A number of residents of Lashkargah City, the center of Helmand province, said on Saturday that many people in the southern city have been infected with various diseases due to a lack of access to clean drinking water and the existence of contaminated water.

The residents said unplanned septic wells in most parts of Lashkargah have caused water pollution.

Mohibullah, a resident of Lashkargah, said he is suffering from kidney disease, which doctors have diagnosed that it is due to the use of contaminated water.

“I was feeling Ill and I had pain in my kidney. I visited the doctor and he said I have a kidney abscess and it is because of contaminated water,” he said.

Doctors said that such types of diseases are due to the use of contaminated water.

“He has kidney abscess and this pus is because of contaminated water,” said Mirza Khan, a doctor in Helmand.

Other residents of the city criticized the continued creation of unplanned septic wells in Lashkargah and said it has damaged water resources in the region.

“Deep wells collect unhealthy water from septic wells, and it causes diseases,” said Azizullah a resident of Lashkargah.

Meanwhile, the public health director in Helmand acknowledged the issue and said that people need to be informed about the harms of using contaminated water.

“Our effort to make people aware is that wells should be covered, water should not be absorbed from below, and wells should be covered from above so that germs do not enter from above,” said Sayed Ahmad Sayed, head of the Public Health Directorate in Helmand. 

Besides the lack of drinking water in Helmand, farmers in many districts of the province are facing severe lack of irrigation water.