Czechs in Afghanistan, Pt. V: In water there is death, life and livelihood

About 28% of Afghanistan’s population have access to clean drinking water – that means 20 million people in the country do not. While we usually think of war and poverty as the main issues facing Afghanistan, water is often at the root of those problems, bringing disease and conflicts over sources. In the next of our series on Czechs in Afghanistan, Christian Falvey visits the Northern Afghan village of Shoran Pain with the People in Need Foundation to see how water projects are drastically improving lives.

“Whether we look at poverty, food security, health or economic development, there is no issue more important for this country than the development of Afghanistan’s water resources,” the UN said last year. That has been clear for countless years. If there was no drought in Afghanistan, there would be problems with clean drinking water, as there were before the 2001 invasion, and as there were before the Taliban ended the female-run programmes for hygiene education. The government says the water problem is among its highest priorities. However, villages virtually lost in the mountains can hardly expect to be the object of the government’s attention anytime soon, and these are the places where People in Need works. My guide around PIN’s rural projects is Pavel Přikryl:

Pavel Přikryl

“This is a ‘kanda’. It’s a method of water harvesting. Here you have a big reservoir filled with rainwater, and during the dry months, you can use the water for drinking. It’s not the best water apparently, but it’s the only water available. So at least it’s sedimented: the water comes in here, the worst things remain at the bottom, and it’s better in each chamber, and even higher in the last. So if you don’t have these kandas then there is simply no water.”

In the Tajik village of Shoran Pain, a child explains to an elder how to shut off the waterspout by beating it with a rock. The water settling basin, or “kanda”, constructed by People in Need here may not be perfect, but it has had a stunning impact on the community.

You said that the village has now become very successful thanks to the reservoir, what does that success mean exactly?

“Before they faced sicknesses because of the water they used, and now they know how to treat it for drinking and eating. Now they are a success because there is no sickness among the children and people.”

Were the children dying?

“Yes, they were dying because they used that water they got stomach sicknesses, diarrhoea and malnourishment.”

How many children were dying before this kanda was built?

Illustrative photo: Christian Falvey

“They don’t know exactly but they estimate about 20 children from the surrounding villages died every year. He says that before, they didn’t know about the sicknesses or why their children were dying, but when the Europeans came and made this water for them, they knew it had been because of the water. But now they understand how to treat the water and they are successful.”

How old is this village? Do they have any idea?

“Maybe more than 200 or 300 years.”

So if this had been built, say, 50 years ago, then it could have saved the lives of hundreds and hundreds of children.

“Yes.”

While clean water has saved lives in Shoran Pain, undrinkable river water is transforming the community with electricity.

How exactly did people in need contribute to the building of this hydropower turbine?

“It was through the NSP project, a big project all around Afghanistan, it basically funded by the World Bank, and People in Need was the implementer in this case, so we handled the engineering and construction. Basically, the project has two goals: one is to start up a sort of lowest level of administration, so starting these “shuras” – something like a mayor and city hall - at the village level; the second goal – and the motivation for the first goal – was to distribute funds to the villages and allow them to choose what kind of infrastructure projects would be financed through the funds. So it was a discussion between the implementers and the local communities about what is most needed. So in this case you can see that they chose to construct a water power plant to power their village with electricity.”

After a couple of minutes it’s making 200 watts... and it’s completely free electricity essentially isn’t it?

“Yes, and clean.”

Does this little hydro-plant provide electricity only for this village or for how many villages?

“Only this village.”

"Kanda"

And does it cost them anything?

“Ten percent was paid by the village people for the construction of this building. PIN paid 48 thousand dollars.”

And is this the first time they have had electricity in the village?

“Before they had a small [wooden] turbine that they made by themselves that could provide electricity for 40 of the 250 families here.”

But five years ago, they didn’t have electricity at all – How has it changed their lives?

“They used to use diesel and candles during the night, but their children could not read or do anything. Now they say life is better because they can do things at home at night. They also didn’t have any machines before they had electricity, like sewing machines.”

So what time did they go to sleep before and what time do they go to sleep now?

“Before they went to sleep at 8 o’clock, now at 10 o’clock or later.”

Okay, so they sleep less since they have this electricity!

“Yeah, before eight o’clock was enough, because they used a lot of diesel and candles and slept heavily.”

And have they ever thought of starting a second turbine and selling the energy to another village? Do they know they can sell electricity?

“They say that would be good business for them. They don’t have the money right now to by the equipment, but they are thinking of finding the money to do that.”

Clean water and hydroelectricity are in short making Shoran Pain one of the most prosperous villages in the area, and its main problem is not longer saving its children from death and malnutrition but building a school.