Fortunately, our world has been blessed with different resources that support us to live our lives with ease and comfort. Among these resources water is one of the most basic one. Enough water to drink and to use is really necessary for human beings to live alive and it is also important for animals as well. In fact, most of the life cycle on earth depends on water.

Though a large portion of earth is filled with water yet there are concerns that it would prove to be insufficient with the passage of time and the usage. And there is also another important fact which is really very much unfortunate; and the fact is that though there are large reservoirs of water on earth there is a considerable population in the world that does not have clean water to drink and enough water to use. In order to highlight the importance of water and the need to preserve it and use it properly, the governments around the world must make serious efforts.

It would be impossible for human beings to live without water; therefore, they require to use it wisely and at the same time find out new ways of providing it to all human beings so that everyone can benefit from it in the best possible manner. They have to make sure that the economic and political systems must ensure providence of natural resources to all the human beings alike – unfortunately that is not the case in contemporary world of ours. The short-comings in our administrative system have made the basic requirements seem lesser and inadequate though it is yet to face a serious threat of inadequacy.

It would be better for the world that it must cogitate seriously about every possibility of a new political economy so as to enable the world to compensate for the water and other shortages for the poor countries will have to suffer to a considerable extent as a result of the shortage of basic requirements and sources of energy.

Unfortunately, Afghanistan is one of the same countries and it will have to face serious challenges in the times to come to provide clean drinking water to its people. Decades of war in Afghanistan has affected the country to a large extent. Different sectors have been influenced by this menace. The basic infra-structure has not been able to get proper attention and people are suffering because of basic needs, among which food and water are the most basic ones.

Even the capital Kabul has been suffering because of the lack of these basic requirements. A recent report by Shabnam Sherzad of Pajhwok Afghan news, using statistics from Water Supply and Canalization Department and Central Statistics Organization, shows that around half of 4.5 million population of the capital Kabul does not have access to clean drinking water. The report depicts that the ratio of increasing population in the capital and their access to clean water is very huge.

According to a statement by head of Water Supply and Canalization Department, Dad Mohammad Baheer, around two and half million Kabul families have access to potable water provided by the Department; while, 1,550,000 other families use wells’ water.

The people using wells’ water are in great danger of getting different sorts of diseases as according to the estimates by environment protection and health officials the underground water has excessive contamination. As the septic wells are just beside the drinking water wells, the underground water cannot be considered pure and free of germs and bacteria.

In addition to its contamination, there are fears that the available underground water will decrease to a large extent in few years to come. A report last year showed that underground water level would deplete considerably in Kabul till 2017 and the residents of the city would face serious challenges in this regard.

According to the Ministry of Water and Energy, “The growing populations, seasonal droughts and over pumping are some of the factors that contribute to the rapidly plummeting underground water resources in Kabul.” The ground water resources decreased from 44 million cubic metre to 31 million in a decade. “We have ground water for one million people, but the level is in great depletion because many people in Kabul pump water from wells dug at homes.

The ministry has already warned that ground water could become undrinkable over next three years if unplanned constructions continued, and the ministry had planned to initiate short and long term projects aimed at protecting the available ground water resources from contamination.

The shortage of basic requirements itself is a sure problem, but there are many other problems that are directly linked with the hunger and deprivation that result from such shortages. Many diseases would erupt and many social evils will find their way in the society and will further deteriorate the country’s socio-political scenario.

It is really important that a decade of struggle for betterment in Afghanistan must not only end in peace and tranquility but also better living standard for the common Afghan people; and if that is not convenient, they must at least be provided the rudimentary requirements like clean drinking water, and the relevant authorities must make sure that there will be serious efforts aimed at providing all the people of Afghanistan clean drinking water.