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1990/1991
Agricultural and irrigation projects continued to dominate Afghanaid’s longer term work. Afghanaid began a programme of road and bridge building in Badakhshan province. We also responded to emergencies caused by flooding and conflict, in Parwan, Kapisa and Paktia provinces.
In 1990, Afghanaid began setting up nurseries of fruit and timber tress to help introduce new varieties and demonstrate better ways of planting and cultivating trees. By late 1994, we had grown a stock of 67,727 almond, apple, apricot, peach and other fruit trees for distribution in four provinces.
A major flood protection and irrigation programme was implemented in Kunduz province, employing over 200 local labourers. At Aftab-Logh a flood protection wall was built and over 1km of irrigation channels were excavated to improve the water supply. As a result, 800 people had irrigated farmland on which to grow their crops. The largest project was the Naqi canal, which involved constructing an irrigation channel serving land equivalent to the size of 2,033 football pitches. A concrete flood protection wall was also built to prevent water seeping out due to the erosion of the river banks. Over 1,200 families benefited from this project.
The poor state of roads in Badakhshan province in north-eastern Afghanistan left many remote communities cut off from other areas in the flood season. Transportation costs were high, and the prices for food and other essentials out the reach of many families. In order to improve access to markets and help reduce prices, Afghanaid paid for the construction of a 50km link road along a major trade route in Badakhshan. The road was able to accommodate motor vehicles for the first time. A further 46km of donkey tracks were widened and nine bridges were built.
In Parwan province, flash floods just before harvest wiped out crops. Afghanaid provided cash grants for affected families to purchase food. Money was distributed to almost 6,500 people. Afghanaid also provided food, blankets and tents to refugees who had fled from fighting.
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