KABUL, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have completed and brought into operation 10 new water supply networks in the remote eastern province of Nuristan, aiming to ease acute water scarcity, the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development said on Sunday.
Built at a cost of 30 million afghani (about 462,000 U.S. dollars), the projects were inaugurated in the districts of Kamdesh, Mandol, Dowab, Barg-i Matal, Want and Wama, according to a ministry statement.
The newly commissioned networks will provide clean, potable water to approximately 17,129 families, delivering essential relief to communities long burdened by severe water shortages.
Afghanistan has endured successive years of intense drought that have dramatically worsened water scarcity across the country. While major urban centers often contend with restricted access to safe drinking water, rural populations continue to confront far more severe and persistent challenges. ■