Saturday April 8, 2017
Kabul (BNA) Dozens of houses, hundreds hectares of agricultural fields and gardens have been destroyed due to continued rainfall and floods in Herat province.
Officials for State Ministry of National Disaster Management and Afghanistan Red Crescent Society have informed of creating a committee in Herat and starting preliminary survey for providing assistance to flood-affected families. Deputy of plan and policy for state ministry of national disaster management Mohammad Qasim Haidari told that the new committee had started surveying of flood-affected families, adding that they would soon receive aids upon completion of the survey. According to Haidari, as no human loss has been reported so far due to recent floods in the province, but dozens of residential houses, hundreds acres of agricultural fields and orchards have been destroyed so far.
Meanwhile, head of international relations and public affairs for red crescent society Tayeb Yousufzai informed that a couple of teams including employees and volunteers of the red crescent society have been dispatched to the province, adding that the society’s volunteers had rushed to help Catastrophes caused by recent rainfalls, floods in Herat flood-affected families even on the day of catastrophe. Yousufzai further said all teams dispatched by the Red Crescent society have saved a large number of families being stuck in floods in various parts of Herat. Related to recent floods and incidents caused by rainfalls, head of natural disasters for Red Cross Abdul Rahman Kalantari asserted that five people had lost their life due to floods in the province, adding that they have been able to help and save families from flowing floods in Herat city. Previously, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani stressed that necessary measures should be taken for protection of people life from possible natural disasters caused by rainfalls and floods.
According to experts, Afghanistan government in particular Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority should have earlier preparation for such possible incidents so that urgent aids should be dispatched to affected families if needed. Representative of Herat people in parliament Naheed Farid considered the main reason of flowing recent floods in the province as un-construction of canalization system and lack of city master plan, adding that residents in Herat city have annually paid dozens millions of Afghani for cleaning and municipality taxes for the past 16 years, but unfortunately no serious attention had been paid to expansion and development of the city. She further said that such inattention to development of the city has caused that residents of Herat were facing each year due to rainfalls and flowing of floods on city’s roads and streets. Farid insisted that ministry of urban development should soon finalize Herat city master plan during the current year and implement city canalization program so that such incidents would not take place in future. It is said that Afghanistan is known as a country where natural disasters are common to happen. Last year the people were seriously affected in various parts of the country due to floods and continued rainfalls. State ministry for national disaster management, ministry of urban development, directorate of water management in framework of ministry of water and energy and directorates of municipalities in provinces and other relevant organ are working to manage, prevent such incidents and provide facilities to the people of Afghanistan.
Shukria Kohistani
