Dropping the pen to fetch water!

He dropped his pen, closed his notebook, and with an unhappy face started to fetch the family’s water supply. He is responsible for carrying the water with a jerry can to his home. Basir, 13, is in fifth grade at school. He remembers the day when there was no water at home and he had to leave his homework and go to the stream to collect water.

“I grabbed the cart with four jerry cans and went to the stream. Due to drought, the stream water was very low. It took an hour to fill the jerry cans. With toil, I filled the cans and carried them home,” said Basir. This was his routine, which took two hours to fetch water. When he returned home, he was very tired and weary, and could not do his homework. “I was very tired and went to sleep. Next day, my teacher in school punished me for not doing my homework,” said Basir.

By constructing a new water supply network, funded by World Vision US, in Alamtabee village of Qadis district in Badghis province of Afghanistan, his journey was shortened significantly and he is happy to do his homework on time.

“Now I am very relieved. The water network is close to our house and I can easily fetch the family’s water supply. When I do homework or play games, my mother can collect the water from this network too. From the day the network was installed in here, my homework is no longer incomplete,” says Basir.

Gul Ahmad, 29, the village head, explains that people of the village had many problems accessing potable water. “There was no potable water in the stream, but the people were used to using that water. Most of the time, they became ill. During the drought, the stream water was very low, and to fill a jerry can they were waiting for a long time. Even in the winter season the trips to the stream were a big problem for us,” says Gul Ahmad. He continues, “After the installation of a new water supply network, the villagers are relieved. Whenever they want water, they can easily collect from the network, which is close to their houses. People are satisfied and happy with the project.”

A total of 200 families have access to clean water in this village, with water being pumped up from a deep well through a solar-powered pump to a tank overlooking the village. Using the force of gravity, the water flows from the tank down to the tap stands. One tap stand has been installed in proximity to every 10 households. Families fetch water from the taps with ease. People from nearby villages also come to this village to fetch water from the taps instead of the stream.